KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian authorities on Monday ordered the emergency evacuation of families with children from the eastern city of Pokrovsk, where Russian forces are rapidly advancing despite a lightning Ukrainian military advance into Russia’s Kursk region.
Local authorities said Russian forces were advancing so fast that families were being forced to evacuate the city and nearby towns and villages starting Tuesday. About 53,000 people still live in Pokrovsk, some of whom have already fled their homes due to the threat of Russian forces, officials said.
Pokrovsk is one of Ukraine’s main defense bases and a key logistics hub in the Donetsk region, and taking it would jeopardize Ukraine’s defense and supply lines and bring Russia closer to its goal of taking the entire Donetsk region.
One of Kiev’s attempts to relieve pressure on the eastern front was a surprise attack on August 6. Russia’s invasion of the Kursk region, The objectives are many, ranging from destabilizing the Kremlin to dividing military resources.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that the bold invasion Create a buffer zone This could deter further cross-border attacks by Moscow, particularly using long-range artillery, missiles and glide bombs.The operation continued in secrecy on Monday.
Russia has been marching relentlessly for six months after occupying Ukraine’s Donetsk region. Avdiivka Russia has taken heavy losses in soldiers and armored vehicles, but the onslaught is slowly paying off as Ukrainian forces are being forced to withdraw from positions destroyed by Russian artillery fire, missiles and bombs.
Russia wants to control all of Donetsk and the neighboring Luhansk regions, which make up the Donbas industrial region.
In an interview with US-funded Radio Liberty, Pokrovsk city officials said residents had just two weeks to safely evacuate the city. The authorities warned Last week it was reported that Russian forces were advancing rapidly, and were now just 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the city’s outskirts.
Ukraine’s top commander, Oleksandr Shirushky, said on Monday that “intense fighting” was taking place in the Pokrovsk region.
The nearby town of Tretsk could provide a key base for Russian forces. Chasib Yar Attacks from the south are also coming under intense pressure, he said.
The Institute for War Studies said Russian forces have been advancing about 2 square kilometers (0.8 square miles) per day in the Pokrovsk region over the past six months.
They are relying on frontal infantry attacks from village to village, exerting superiority in men and materials to make gradual advances, a Washington-based think tank said late Sunday.
Pokrovsk city authorities met with residents and provided them with details about the evacuation, which will see them offered shelter in western Ukraine, where they will be accommodated in dormitories and other buildings.
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