7,500 people remain in Ukraine's frontline city of Pokrovsk, as Russian forces advance

Vadym Filashkin, the head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, announced this during the United News telethon.

"There are 7,500 people in Pokrovsk now, more than 3,000 have left in the past week. We evacuated all the children - last week there were 16, and now there are no children in Pokrovsk," Filashkin said.

He also mentioned that 11,000 residents, including 27 children, remain across all settlements in the Pokrovsk community.

"We're continuing our efforts and hope to evacuate all the children shortly. Some shops are still open, and a few ATMs are still working," he added.

Filashkin noted that Russian forces are about 3 kilometers from Pokrovsk.

Meanwhile, in Chasiv Yar, part of the Bakhmut district, 249 people still live in basements. 

"The town of Chasiv Yar is almost destroyed. There is not a single intact house. People are staying in basements, and it's nearly impossible to visit them. If we manage to visit twice a week in the morning, bringing water, food, and humanitarian aid, that's considered very good. The situation is dire, but people are not leaving," Filashkin explained.

• Ivan Tymochko, chairman of the Council of Reservists of Ukrainian Land Forces, highlighted that Russian forces near Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, and Vremivka, despite achieving tactical gains, are losing their strategic reserves.