russian strikes kill five and injure two civilians in eastern city of Bakhmut

The head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, reported on Telegram that five civilians were killed and ten more were wounded in the eastern stronghold city of Bakhmut, Donetsk region, due to russian shelling.

"On February 16, the russians killed five residents of Donetsk region — in Bakhmut. Another ten people were injured in the region," he said.

He added it was currently impossible to establish the exact number of victims in the temporarily occupied Mariupol and Volnovakha, as Ukrainian law enforcement has no access.

According to the Donetsk regional prosecutor's office statement published online, on February 16, the russian troops shelled Bakhmut with cannon artillery and the Grad multiple rocket launching system. The occupiers' shells once again struck the residential quarter. The five civilians killed varied in age between 32 and 66. Criminal proceedings have been initiated.

On February 16, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk reported that 6,000 civilians remained in Bakhmut. She urged them to evacuate as soon as possible.

"Frankly speaking, I am very surprised that there are still 6,000 civilians there (in Bakhmut)," she wrote on Telegram, citing the latest data.

"Those who choose to stay in Bakhmut are endangering themselves and loved ones," creating additional risks for the military and police and "preventing our defense and security forces from working properly in the city," she said.

Bakhmut is the site of the fiercest fighting since russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. Soldiers on both sides refer to it as the "meat grinder" because of the hundreds of lives lost daily in battle.