On Thursday, Ukraine ordered the evacuation of children and their guardians from several towns and villages in the eastern Donetsk region due to intensified fighting with Russian forces. This escalation follows the launch of a new ground offensive by Moscow early last month.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has noted that Russian firepower is now heavily concentrated in Donetsk. Despite Russia's claim of annexing the region in 2022, they do not have full control over it.
"This is an important decision designed primarily to save the lives of our children," Donetsk region Governor Vadym Filashkin wrote on social media. "The security situation in the region is constantly deteriorating, and the intensity of shelling is increasing."
Filashkin mentioned Lyman, a town briefly occupied by Russian forces before being recaptured by Ukraine, along with several nearby villages close to the front line, as affected by the evacuation order.
In the early months of the invasion, President Zelensky urged all residents of the industrial Donetsk region to evacuate, though these orders were not strictly enforced.
The Moscow Times reported that Ukraine recently had to reallocate troops to the northeastern Kharkiv region after Russian forces initiated a new offensive there. Since capturing Avdiivka in February, Russian troops have advanced further west, challenging the Ukrainian army, which faces shortages in manpower and ammunition.
Earlier on Thursday, Filashkin reported that one person was killed and three others injured in separate Russian attacks on the territory. He detailed that a 59-year-old woman was killed in Chasiv Yar, a strategically significant town under assault by Russian forces, and an elderly man was wounded.
Filashkin noted that two civilians were killed, and over a dozen were injured in Russian attacks the previous day.
In his statement, he added that more than 217 people, including 61 children, were evacuated the day before.
