Ukrainian paramedics rescue wounded civilians as shells rained down on the eastern city of Kharkiv, Sunday, April 17. At least five people were killed and a dozen wounded Sunday when apartment blocks were bombarded by Russian forces. A paramedic told people to "stay on the ground" as he refused to leave the side of a terrified woman who had been hit by shrapnel. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian forces of engaging in "deliberate terror" with mortar and artillery strikes on residential neighborhoods in Kharkiv, while Ukrainian forces in the southern city of Mariupol defied a Russian deadline to lay down their arms. Zelenskyy, in a video address late Sunday, said he expects Russia to launch an offensive in the eastern Donbas region "in the near future." Russia's withdrawal of its forces from areas around Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, and other parts of the north in recent weeks prompted assessments from Western military officials that Russia was reinforcing and redeploying those assets to eastern Ukraine. Capturing the Donbas region, which includes Luhansk and Donetsk, along with the port city of Mariupol to the south, would allow Russia to control a land corridor to the Crimean peninsula, which it seized in 2014. READ MORE: https://www.voanews.com/a/zelenskyy-says-russian-forces-conducting-deliberate-terror-/6533792.html » Subscribe to VOA News: https://bit.ly/3KIPysi » Watch more VOA News video: https://www.youtube.com/c/VOANews Voice of America (VOA) is the largest U.S. international broadcaster, providing news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of 236.8 million people. VOA produces content for digital, television, and radio platforms. It is easily accessed via your mobile phone and on social media. It is also distributed by satellite, cable, FM and MW, and is carried on a network of approximately 3,000 affiliate stations. Since its creation in 1942, Voice of America has been committed to providing comprehensive coverage of the news and telling audiences the truth. Through World War II, the Cold War, the fight against global terrorism, and the struggle for freedom around the globe today, VOA exemplifies the principles of a free press. Connect with VOA News: » VISIT OUR WEBSITE: https://www.voanews.com/ » LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/voiceofamerica » FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/voanews/ » FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: https://twitter.com/VOANews