Ukraine Live Updates: Zelensky Urges Mass Evacuation; Red Cross Kept From Prison Blast Site

DONETSK PROVINCE, Ukraine — The thuds of artillery sounded in the distance, but the noise from the yard of a house near the front line last week was from the shouts of children playing.

Even as the war edged closer, Natasha, a 46-year-old mother of six, said she had no intention of giving up and leaving, focused instead on keeping house and home together.

“We could go,” she said, adding that Ukrainian soldiers stationed nearby had suggested she evacuate the family. “But how would we earn money? And I have kids to feed.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is preparing a mandatory evacuation for civilians in the areas of fiercest fighting in…