Kharkiv, a city in northeast Ukraine only 30 miles from the Russian border, was hit with 53 Russian strikes in 24 hours, the assault injuring scores of civilians.
Regional officials announced that during the period the city was bombarded with 53 artillery and rocket launches, with Russian forces continuing their march to eastern Ukraine.
"Our Armed Forces are constantly fighting to prevent the enemy from passing to Donetsk and Luhansk regions," Kharkiv regional head Oleg Synegubov said on Telegram.
"Russians continue to terrorize civilians. Unfortunately, during the past 24 hours, 22 civilians, including three children, were injured in the shelling of the region. Seven people died,” he added.
Kharkiv is located strategically close to the Russian border and along a main route that Russian troops need to use to travel into the eastern areas of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Russian forces are expected to continue using the roads in the area, with Moscow aiming to set up a second convoy headed into eastern Ukraine, a senior U.S. defense official said, according to Fox News.
With Kharkiv under heavy fire for almost 50 days, Synegubov encouraged residents not to leave.
"Our armed forces destroy a lot of equipment and manpower of Russians every day,” he said. "Believe in our defenders and keep calm.”
The Russian troops travelling through the region are thought to be carrying more soldiers and armored vehicles in preparation for a “major offensive” to being in eastern Ukraine. Western officials estimate the convoy is now 77 miles south of Kharkiv, near Izyum, only 16 miles from the Donbas border.
A battle for Donbas appears to be eminent, with Russia gearing up its forces for an assault, Reuters reported.