Over 130 people, including 12 children, evacuated from Donetsk Oblast on Jan. 11

Over the past day, 132 people, including 12 children, were evacuated from the front-line area of Donetsk Oblast, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported on the morning of Jan. 12.

Amid fierce Russian offensives and daily attacks on the area, Donetsk Oblast authorities intensified evacuation efforts during the summer and autumn, with police, military, and volunteers helping civilians flee the region.

However, despite calls from officials, as of early January, around 307,000 civilians reportedly remained in Ukrainian-controlled parts of Donetsk Oblast.

According to Filashkin, Russian troops shelled the settlements of Donetsk Oblast 20 times over the past day, killing one person in the village of Hryshyne, not far from Pokrovsk.

Five people were injured in the village of Bilytske and two more in Kostiantynivka, Filashkin wrote on Facebook.

Over 60 houses suffered damage due to Russian attacks on Donetsk Oblast on Jan. 11, according to Filashkin.

Russian troops are continuing to push on the Lyman, Siversk, Kramatorsk, Toretsk, Pokrovsk and Kurakhove axes, according to Ukraine's General Staff. Pokrovsk and Kurakhove remain the focal points of the Russian eastern offensive, now in its fifth month.

As Russians inch closer to Pokrovsk, civilians in the area are left with a choice — stay under fire or leave life behind

BILOZERSKE, Donetsk Oblast — Less than 30 kilometers north of embattled Pokrovsk, a market was in full swing in the town of Bilozerske. Meters away, however, a crowd has gathered in front of a building, nervously awaiting the doors to open. Tensions were visibly mounting as the doors remained close…

The Kyiv IndependentEmmanuelle Chaze