246 children remain in Pokrovsk community, Donetsk region, evacuation ongoing

This was reported by Vadym Filashkin, the head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, during a United News telethon.

He explained that 17,000 people, including 246 children, still live in the Pokrovsk community, with 11,000 people and 49 children in Pokrovsk. In Kurakhove, 1,300 people remain in the community, with about 700-800 still in the town. All children from these areas have already been evacuated.

Filashkin also noted that all children had been evacuated in advance from settlements located downstream of the Kurakhove reservoir.

"The day before yesterday, Russian forces blew up the dam of the Kurakhove Reservoir, which held 55 million cubic meters of water. Around 20 million cubic meters of water leaked out, but there have been no floods or threats to the villages in the area. We had already evacuated all the children," he said.

He stressed that there is no forced evacuation from frontline areas, only families with children are being evacuated, and this applies to the entire region.

"Unfortunately, some parents are still taking dangerous routes and bringing their children to unsafe areas. We've seen this in places like Velyka Novosilka, Kurakhove, and Toretsk. We've worked closely with the police and the Security Service to prevent families from reaching the front lines,” said Filashkin.

He also shared that over the past day, 214 civilians, including 10 children, were evacuated from the frontlines of Donetsk region. However, many people who remain in these areas “have no desire to leave.”

On the issue of food and humanitarian aid, Filashkin explained that it's now “almost impossible” to deliver assistance to places like Kurakhove, Toretsk, Chasiv Yar, and Velyka Novosilka. The civilians who stayed behind had prepared in advance, stocking up on food, water, medicine, and hygiene products.

"They knew they were staying and made sure they had supplies. But they don't realize that when the enemy arrives, they will take everything - food, medicine - and use it for their own needs," Filashkin emphasized.

• Civilians are being evacuated from the Donetsk region under Russian shelling. The situation in Kurakhove is critical, with evacuation plans set in advance.