Bakhmut evacuates as Russia claims to be closing in

A barrage of Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukraine killed a total of 11 people on Thursday, a State Emergency Service spokesperson said, as Ukraine declared a nationwide air raid alert. Eleven more were injured in the attacks, Civil Defence agency spokesperson Olexander Khorunshchyi said. The toll included the first attack-related death in the capital this year, the Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

In an interview with DW, he said Moscow was trying to "destroy normal life," but that Ukrainians were prepared to die for their freedom. "We defend right now our homes, our country," he said. "And please don't forget, we defend not just our homes, we defend also the same values — European, modern, democratic values." Russian forces fired over 50 missiles and some two dozen kamikaze drones on 11 regions across Ukraine, of which 47 were intercepted. Some 35 buildings were damaged.

Several infrastructure sites were also hit, said Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, causing power cuts in the regions of Odesa, Kyiv and Vinnytsia. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 15 cruise missiles en route to the Kyiv area, the head of the city's administration, Serhii Popko, said. The Russian military has been firing missiles and drones at critical infrastructure, notably energy facilities, since October.