Deadly shelling in Ukraine's Pokrovsk as Russia gains ground

Russian shelling killed one person in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk on Sunday, local authorities said, as Moscow's troops inched closer to the key logistics hub.

More than 20,000 people have fled the city since August, while Russian strikes over the past two weeks have cut off water and electricity to many of its remaining residents. 

"Around 11:00 am (0800 GMT), the enemy shelled the western part of the city... Unfortunately, one person died," Pokrovsk's military administration said on Telegram.

Separately, a Russian air strike sparked a fire at a multi-storey residential building in the northeastern city of Kharkiv on Sunday, officials said.

"At the moment, there are almost 30 wounded, including children," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram.

Russia has been advancing towards Pokrovsk for months, getting to within 10 kilometres (six miles) of its eastern outskirts, according to the local administration.

The city lies on the intersection of rail and road routes that supply Ukrainian troops and towns across the eastern frontline and has long been a target for Moscow's army.

Russian strikes damaged two overpasses in the city earlier this week, including one that connected Pokrovsk to the neighbouring town of Myrnograd, local media reported.

(AFP)