Russians advancing Pokrovsk: Situation in city so far
Photo: Pokrovsk, Donetsk region (Yevhen Symonenko/RBC-Ukraine)
Pokrovsk has been in the headlines for a month now. The situation is very difficult due to the active Russian offensive. In a few weeks, the Russian occupiers have managed to get to within 12 kilometers of the city, and the shift in positions is progressing.
Find out how Pokrovsk is living now and what the situation is with the evacuation of people in the RBC-Ukraine's report.
Video: Russians approaching Pokrovsk. Evacuation of the population, closed businesses, and empty shops (youtube.com/RBC-Ukraine)
Over the past month, Pokrovsk has changed dramatically, an RBC-Ukraine correspondent reports. Until recently, it was hard to believe that there was a war going on nearby. The city was home to shopping centers, beauty salons, gyms, and coffee shops. Now, most of them are closed, and others are planning to close as well.
"Large chain supermarkets have sold off their leftover products and posted signs on the doors saying 'temporarily closed’. But no one knows how long this is temporary. There are a lot of such signs here. There are queues at ATMs. People want to stock up on cash. Only local shops remain open. Small business owners are hoping to keep their businesses open to the last," says an RBC-Ukraine correspondent.
There are huge queues outside post offices. People are trying to send to the territory under Ukraine's control what they have been earning for years. The demand is so great that the post office has run out of boxes for packing, and people are asked to bring their own.
Some branches stop sending until noon. People mostly send essentials or just things that are valuable as mementos.
A huge number of people gather at the railway station. Every day, evacuation trains leave from here for Lviv and Rivne. 11 carriages are filled with people every day.
"In addition to local journalists, foreign media came here. Pokrovsk is now the number one topic in the world. The atmosphere on the platform is very difficult. People are hugging each other with tears in their eyes before saying goodbye, no one wants to leave their home. Mostly women and children leave. Men are staying, as they say, to finish some more business, and then, when it gets really difficult, they promise to evacuate to their families," says Bohdana Liaskivska.
According to her, the city has changed, although it has always been close to the war zone, life here was peaceful.
"Now you can feel tension and despair in the air. Banks and shops are closed, people are carrying suitcases, people are fussing, and everyone is saying "We hope everything will be okay" every day," she shares her impressions.
The Ukraine's General Staff reported that 170 combat engagements between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Russian occupiers were recorded at the frontline over the past day.
Read more about how the frontline town of Pokrovsk is living now in the RBC-Ukraine article.
