Ukrainian authorities had ordered a mandatory evacuation of around 250 children from eight settlements in Donetsk Oblast due to a "critical security situation," the Reintegration Ministry announced on Oct. 23.
Children, as well as their parents and legal guardians, are to leave Toretsk, Shcherbynivka, Petrivka, Nelipivka, and Pivnichne in the Bakhmut district and Ocheretyne, Katerynivka, and Yelizavetivka in the Pokrovsk district, the regional military administration reported.
All the evacuated civilians will be transported to a humanitarian hub before the onset of the cold weather. Subsequently, they will be taken to Zhytomyr Oblast and provided with shelter and other aid, the ministry said.
According to the report, 41 children have already been taken to safety.
Over 500 Ukrainian children have been killed and almost 1,200 wounded since the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, according to the Children of War database.
Russian forces have recently intensified their attacks along the eastern front. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported heavy attacks in the Bakhmut, Mariinka, Avdiivka, and other directions.
