Nine villages close to the front line in Donetsk Oblast have been added to those settlements under a mandatory evacuation order due to constant Russian shelling, regional Governor Vadym Filashkin said on Jan. 29.
The villages fall under the front-line Marinka and Ocheretyne communities, both in areas where Russian forces have intensified offensive operations in recent months.
“I insist that the residents of the oblast, especially families with children and people with disabilities, should evacuate to safer regions of Ukraine,” Filashkin wrote on Telegram, saying the authorities cooperate with international partners and organizations.
According to the Reintegration Ministry, 135 people, including 73 children and 62 family members, will be evacuated to Zhytomyr and Zakarpattia Oblasts. The ministry said they would be accommodated free of charge and provided with shelter, social benefits, humanitarian aid, and psychological support.
As of the end of December 2023, more than 100,000 people have moved to safe regions of Ukraine as part of the mandatory evacuation from Donetsk Oblast.
Donetsk Oblast, partially occupied by Russian forces since 2014, suffers regular attacks, and local officials report losses among the civilian population virtually on a daily basis.
Filashkin said that on Jan. 28, Russian forces fired at settlements in Donetsk Oblast 12 times, including Bakhmut, Kramatorsk, and Pokrovsk districts.
Francis Farrell
