There are 89 children still living in front-line settlements in Donetsk Oblast, Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said in a television broadcast on Aug. 27, according to Suspilne News.
Kyrylenko said local authorities are working to evacuate the children in the coming weeks.
"All services are working hard in the hottest areas, including Kramatorsk and Bakhmut districts, and settlements along the front line," Kyrylenko said.
He also said that mandatory evacuation of children from the region has been in effect since August of 2022, and that "the government approved the decision to force evacuation" in March 2023.
On Aug. 5, officials announced the forced evacuation of 130 children from nine settlements in Donetsk Oblast.
Kyrylenko said that persuading parents to leave their homes with their children has been difficult, but that authorities are working to get residents to cooperate.
"We tell the parents of children about the possible dire consequences of being under fire, and if they refuse to evacuate, they are warned about administrative and criminal liability," Kyrylenko said.
Mandatory evacuations have been carried out in multiple regions of Ukraine as Russia's full-scale invasion continues into its second year.
Francis Farrell
