Donetsk exodus surges, only 1,370 remain in Pokrovsk
Donetsk Regional Military Administration head Vadym Filashkin has said there has been a sharp increase in the scale of evacuation of civilians from settlements in the Donetsk region to other regions of Ukraine: if a month ago 300-400 people were leaving daily, now 600-700.
In particular, according to him, 1,370 people remain in the city of Pokrovsk.
"It is almost impossible to enter the city, so we enter there only with the military and ask our defenders to help evacuate people. Several utility workers, police units are working. They come at a certain time, we work with these people so that they leave the city. Because it is impossible to deliver either humanitarian or medical aid to the city and almost every day the enemy destroys and shells the city of Pokrovsk," Filashkin said.
He added that 8,261 people currently remain in the city of Kostiantynivka.
"The authorities are on site, we are helping our people with the evacuation, but without the police and the State Emergency Service, the evacuation would be almost impossible, because the enemy drops less than ten aerial bombs every day, these are KAB-250s (aerial-guided bombs), not to mention first-person view (FPV) drones, barrel artillery. Almost the entire city of Kostyantynivka is under fire, as is the entire community," he said.
Residents are also leaving the city of Kramatorsk, now the administrative center of the Donetsk region. "The enemy is shelling both the city of Kramatorsk and the city of Slavyansk almost every day," Filashkin noted.
According to him, 150 settlements in the Donetsk region close to the front line are currently without water, gas and electricity.
"The enemy is destroying our critical infrastructure facilities, our energy system every day. This winter of 2025-26 will be the most difficult for us. We are now working with volunteer movements, with charitable organizations to prepare our people for the heating season. About 25,000 people are now in cities close to the front line, and they need help - pellets, firewood," Filashkin said.