Urgent Evacuation in Pokrovsk: Civilians Face Looming Russian Threat

Civilians in Pokrovsk, Ukraine, have a week or two to evacuate as Russian forces advance, prompting urgent warnings from local officials. The city faces intense fighting with record clashes reported. Local authorities have the capacity to evacuate 1,000 people per day, but only 500-600 are currently leaving.

Civilians in Ukraine's strategic logistics hub of Pokrovsk have just one to two weeks to evacuate, amid increasing Russian troop advances, an official said on Monday.

The Pokrovsk front remains the most intensely contested area in eastern Ukraine, recording a record number of clashes in the past week. The Ukrainian military is counteracting with a significant incursion into Russia's Kursk region.

Russian forces have been relentlessly advancing in Pokrovsk over recent months, now standing just 10 kilometers from the city outskirts, local authorities stated. Serhiy Dobriak, head of the city military administration, urged civilians to evacuate immediately.

"A week or two, no more," Dobriak told Radio Liberty's Ukrainian Service regarding the time left for evacuations, given the rapid pace of Russian advances. Authorities can evacuate at least 1,000 people daily, but only 500-600 currently leave. About 53,000 civilians, including 4,000 children, remain in Pokrovsk and nearby settlements, said regional governor Vadym Filashkin on Telegram.

Filashkin noted that curfews in areas near Pokrovsk—Myrnohrad, Selydove, and Novohrodivka—have been tightened. The evacuation of families with children has begun, he added.

On Monday, Ukraine's General Staff reported 145 combat clashes in the past 24 hours, with 45 occurring in the Pokrovsk direction. Another 24 clashes took place in Toretsk, located 47 kilometers from Pokrovsk, highlighting Russia's intensified push. "Heavy fighting continues in the Pokrovsk direction. Defense forces are doing everything necessary to protect Toretsk," said army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi on Telegram.

(With inputs from agencies.)