KYIV: Ukraine on Sunday announced the mandatory evacuation of children and their guardians from areas in the Donetsk region, where Russia has been claiming advances.
Just hours earlier, Russia said its forces had seized a nearby village, after claiming a string of villages in recent weeks -- many just consisting of a few streets.
"The enemy is bombing the towns and villages of these communities every day, so it was decided to evacuate children with their parents or other legal representatives," Donetsk governor Vadym Filashkin said, listing the towns and villages to be evacuated. Filashkin cited the town of Novogrodovka, which is about 20 kilometres from the village of Novoselivka Persha that Russia claimed to have captured on Sunday.
The Donetsk governor said 744 children and their families had to be relocated to four regions of Ukraine.
"I have instructed that only armoured vehicles be involved in the process of evacuating children, as the enemy is actively using first person view drones in these communities," Filashkin said. "We must make every effort to protect our children," he added.
Filashkin has been urging civilians to flee the region over recent weeks because of an increase in deadly Russian bombardments.
Now grinding through a third year of fighting, neither Kyiv nor Moscow has managed to swing the conflict decisively in their favour, even though Moscow's forces have gained ground in recent months. Russia claimed to have annexed the Donetsk region -- along with three others in eastern and southern Ukraine -- in 2022, despite not fully controlling any of them.
Now grinding through a third year of fighting, neither Kyiv nor Moscow has managed to swing the conflict decisively in their favour, even though Moscow's forces have gained ground in recent months.
Russia's defence ministry said forces had "liberated the settlement of Novoselivka Persha" that lies in the Donetsk region around 20 kilometres northwest of Avdiivka, which Russia seized in February.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised his forces for hitting military targets inside Russia, after his army reported several strikes including on an airfield and an oil depot.
"I would like to thank each of our soldiers and all those who work in our defence industry for striking Russian airfields, oil refineries and logistics," he said in his daily statement.
Kyiv has stepped up aerial attacks on Russian territory, saying it carries out the strikes in retaliation for the bombardments Ukraine has faced since Russia attacked more than two years ago. — AFP
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