Ukraine declares mandatory evacuation for residents of Donetsk region

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk has announced the launch of a centre for the mandatory evacuation of residents of the Donetsk region, she said during a telethon.

“There is a complete lack of gas supply in the Donetsk region. They fixed all the gas pipelines that they could, but unfortunately, the enemy keeps destroying everything that could keep people warm during the winter time after time. There is no power supply that is needed either. In short, there will be no heating in the Donetsk region during the winter period,” Vereshchuk said.

She also stated that the shelling of the Donetsk region only intensifies, which is why its residents need to evacuate.

The deputy PM said that it is “the obligation of every adult person” to leave now to ensure the safety of their children. In total, there are 52,000 children living on the territory of the Donetsk region. It is planned to evacuate up to 220,000 residents of the region.

Donetsk regional officials regularly report attacks by Russian forces.

Yesterday, one person was killed and five were injured in a missile strike on Kramatorsk, head of the regional administration Pavlo Kyrylenko said. Four people were killed in the attacks on Bakhmut, five were injured.