Number of civilians remaining in Ukraine’s Pokrovsk – Military Administration report
Illustrative photo: the number of civilians remaining in Pokrovsk has been reported (Getty Images)
In Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka, despite daily shelling and the enemy’s control over access routes, civilians still remain there, according to the head of the Donetsk regional military administration (OVA), Vadym Filashkin.
Pokrovsk
According to Filashkin, last week, law enforcement was able to evacuate only one family from Pokrovsk, while about 1,200 people — mostly elderly — still remain in the city.
"People are staying in basements and only go out to fetch water. Nearly 90% of all buildings have been destroyed; the enemy is wiping the city off the face of the earth. Pokrovsk has been able to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe only thanks to the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the regional head emphasized.
A few wells in the city are still operational, providing access to technical water. At the same time, Filashkin noted that leaving Pokrovsk is extremely difficult because all access routes are under the control of Russian forces.
The head of the regional administration also confirmed that there have been incidents of civilians being shot in the city.
"The civilians who were shot by the Russians were killed in the center of Pokrovsk. These actions were carried out by enemy groups entering the city. There are no enemy positions in Pokrovsk, but sabotage groups do infiltrate, and our defense forces eliminate them," Filashkin said.
He stressed that continuing evacuations from Pokrovsk is practically impossible.
Kostiantynivka
The situation remains difficult in Kostiantynivka, where, according to regional authorities, over 5,000 civilians are still present.
"Every day, between 30 and 100 people leave the city. The enemy controls all access routes, but evacuation from Kostiantynivka is still possible," Filashkin emphasized.
He noted that police units, the State Emergency Service, and the military are handling the evacuation wherever it is still feasible. Ukrainian forces are also delivering humanitarian aid to those who remain.
Filashkin stressed that the situation in both cities is critical, but the defenders are doing everything possible to prevent the enemy from fully entering populated areas and to save those who are still in the danger zone.
Russian troops shot civilians in Pokrovsk
Recently, a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group managed to infiltrate the center of Pokrovsk and killed several civilians. However, Ukrainian forces located the Russian troops and eliminated them inside the railway station building.
It later became known that intercepted radio communications, released by the Defense Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, recorded evidence of yet another war crime committed by the Russian army.
