Russian shelling of a bus stop Thursday in the frontline east Ukraine town of Toretsk killed eight people and left four wounded, the regional governor said.

"According to preliminary information, there was artillery fire. They hit a public transport stop, where there was a crowd of people at that time," Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Ukraine-run Donetsk region administration, wrote on Telegram.

He said that there were three children among the wounded.

The attack comes as Kyiv orders civilians to leave the war-torn Donestk region bearing the brunt of Moscow's gruelling offensive in the east of the country.

"I appeal to all residents of the region: do not turn yourself into a target for the Russians! Evacuate in a timely fashion!" Kyrylenko wrote.

Ukrainian officials said Russian strikes continued to rain down on towns and cities across the sprawling front line.

The mayor of southern city Mykolaiv said early morning shelling had damaged residential buildings in two districts.

Mykolaiv is the closest city to where Ukrainian forces are looking to launch a major counter-offensive and has been frequently hit by Moscow's forces.

Officials in the northeastern city of Kharkiv said missiles launched from Russian territory across the nearby shared border had hit industrial areas.