Ukraine orders evacuation of cities in the east

Ukraine has ordered the evacuation of children and their guardians from areas in the Donetsk region in the east of the country. “The enemy bombs the towns and villages of these communities every day, so it was decided to evacuate children with their parents or legal representatives to safety,” said Donetsk Governor Vadym Filashkin. He published a list of towns and villages in areas where Russia had recently reported gains in territory.

Russia reports further territorial gains – Ukraine evacuates children

Meanwhile, Russia reported the capture of another town in eastern Ukraine. “Units of the Central Troop Group” have “liberated” Novoselikva Persha in the Donetsk region, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said in its daily report on Sunday. The town is located around 20 kilometers from the city of Avdiivka, which Russia captured in February.

Russia has been gradually gaining ground in recent months since the failure of the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the summer of 2023 – and since the capture of Avdiivka, which had served as a stronghold for the Ukrainian army. The Donetsk region is one of the four Ukrainian regions whose annexation Russia announced in September 2022, although it does not control them militarily.