Ukraine air defences down Three missiles, 25 drones fired by Russia, Ukrainian air force 

Ukraine air defences down Three missiles, 25 drones fired by Russia, Ukrainian air force 

AFP

Kyiv : Ukraine on Monday ordered the evacuation of families with children from Pokrovsk, as Russian forces have been inching towards the eastern city for months.

“We are starting the forced evacuation of families with children from the Pokrovsk community,” Donetsk governor Vadym Filashkin said, ordering the “compulsory” evacuation of children and their parents from Pokrovsk and about a dozen surrounding villages.

He said more than 53,000 people live in the area, including almost 4,000 children.

Filashkin called the decision to evacuate “necessary and inevitable.”

Pokrovsk lies on the intersection of a key road that supplies Ukrainian troops and towns across the eastern front and has long been a target for the Russian army.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said Sunday (August 18, 2024) its forces had captured Svyrydonivka, another frontline settlement some 15 kilometres (nine miles) away from Pokrovsk.

The head of Pokrovsk’s military administration, Sergiy Dobryak, warned last week that Russia was a little more than 10 kilometres from the outskirts of the city and urged remaining residents to evacuate.

Kyiv : The Ukrainian authorities on Monday ordered families with children to urgently evacuate the eastern city of Pokrovsk, where the Russian army is bearing down after a six-month slog across Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

The authorities said Russian forces are advancing so quickly that families must leave the city. — AP