‘Everything is destroyed’: Civilians trickle out of Avdiivka as Russian assault leaves Ukrainian town in ruins

"Some analysts had initially suggested the Russian move was designed to force Kyiv to divert

some of the forces it had been using for its attacks along the southern and eastern front lines, but Ukrainian officials say the goal is actually to make advances while Kyiv is focused elsewhere.
“The situation is tense,” Soloviy said, explaining people can no longer leave on their own, they have to wait to be evacuated. “Because of the increased shelling, people have started to sign up more often (for evacuation).”
Many of Avdiivka’s residents had already fled before the full-scale invasion, leaving the city with a pre-war population of around 30,000." CNN