More than 700 children from four communities in Donetsk Oblast will be evacuated away from the front line, Donetsk Oblast Governor Vadym Filashkin said on Aug. 4 as heavy battles continue in the direction of Pokrovsk.
Filashkin made the announcement after holding a meeting on the local security situation, particularly in the front-line villages of Hrodivka and Novohrodivka in Pokrovsk Raion.
Hrodivka and Novohrodivka are now situated around 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the front line. At the beginning of 2024, the villages were located around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the front.
"We have to evacuate 744 children and their families from four communities to safer regions of Ukraine," Filashkin said.
The mandatory evacuation order was issued for children with their parents or legal guardians as Russian forces are targeting "these communities with aerial bombs every day," Filashkin said.
Evacuating children will be carried out with armored cars "because the enemy is actively using FPV drones on the territory of these communities," Filashkin added.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 30 that Russia began concentrating its efforts in the east, "throwing everything they have" in the direction of Pokrovsk, after the renewed offensive on Kharkiv failed.
According to the local authorities, around 60,000 people, including 4,000 children, remain in Pokrovsk, which is currently around 20 kilometers from the front line.
Around 500 people are evacuated on average every month and 4,000 children have already been evacuated from Pokrovsk.
Irynka Hromotska
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