Ukraine Orders Civilians to Evacuate Pokrovsk

War
Post At: Aug 19/2024 09:50PM

Ukraine has ordered families with children to evacuate Pokrovsk amid fears that Russian troops are about to bear down on the city.

Ukrainian officials said that Russian troops were advancing so quickly that families must flee the city and other nearby towns.

Russian troops have been pushing toward Pokrovsk for months after a six-month slog across Ukraine's Donetsk region following the capture of Avdiivka.

Regional governor Vadym Filashkin said on Telegram that an estimated 53,000 people, including almost 4,000 children, are still in Pokrovsk and the surrounding area.

Residents have just two weeks to leave the city safely, officials said in an interview with the U.S.-funded Radio Liberty.

Ukraine has ordered families with children to evacuate Pokrovsk amid fears that Russian troops are about to bear down on the city. Ukraine has ordered families with children to evacuate Pokrovsk amid fears that Russian troops are about to bear down on the city. AP

The head of the city military administration, Serhiy Dobriak, told Liberty's Ukrainian Service that civilians have "a week or two, no more," as the Russian army is rapidly approaching the Pokrovsk, Donetsk region.

Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine's commander-in-chief, said on Monday that "heavy battles" were taking place in the Pokrovsk area.

Ukrainian servicemen of the 43rd Artillery Brigade operate self-propelled artillery 2S7 Pion in an undisclosed area, in the Pokrovsk district, the eastern Donetsk region, on August 8, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On... Ukrainian servicemen of the 43rd Artillery Brigade operate self-propelled artillery 2S7 Pion in an undisclosed area, in the Pokrovsk district, the eastern Donetsk region, on August 8, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On August 16, 2024, Ukrainian military authorities said that Russia was advancing at a 'fast pace' in the town of Pokrovsk, prompting calls for residents to evacuate. ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images

Officials warned last week that Russian troops were were just 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the city's outskirts.

Authorities have the capacity to evacuate at least 1,000 people a day, he added, but only 500-600 people per day are currently leaving, according to Serhiy Dobriak.

Russian troops have been pushing toward Pokrovsk for months after a six-month slog across Ukraine's Donetsk region following the capture of Avdiivka.

The pace of evacuation in the city has increased, with 500-600 people leaving daily.

Curfews have been enforced in settlements lying close to Pokrovsk, including Myrnohrad, Selydove, and Novohrodivka.

Ukrainian soldiers from the 3rd Spartan Task Force Brigade are taking part in tactical and medical training exercises at an undisclosed location in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Monday, July 22, 2024. Ukrainian soldiers from the 3rd Spartan Task Force Brigade are taking part in tactical and medical training exercises at an undisclosed location in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Monday, July 22, 2024. Andrii Marienko/AP

For months, Russian troops have been inching slowly through Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast region, making significant territorial gains but suffering heavy casualties.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed on Sunday that Ukraine's daring incursion into Russia's Kursk region, which began almost two weeks ago, is part of an effort to create a buffer zone.

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