Ukraine's Avdiivka becoming 'post-apocalyptic', city shuts down -official

FILE PHOTO: A view shows a residential building, cars and a church damaged by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the frontline city of Avdiivka, in Donetsk region, Ukraine March 20, 2023. REUTERS/Alex Babenko/File Photo

KYIV (Reuters) - Russia is turning Ukraine's Avdiivka into "a place from post-apocalyptic movies", intensifying shelling and forcing a nearly full shutdown of the frontline city, the top local official said on Sunday.

Some 2,000 civilians are left in Avdiivka, a Donetsk region city some 90 kilometres (56 miles) southwest of the besieged Bakhmut, according to officials. The city had a pre-war population of more than 30,000.