Residents of the Donetsk Oblast town of Myrnohrad are evacuating as Russian forces are now only 6 kilometers (3.8 miles) away, the acting head of the town's military administration told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on Aug. 16.
Myrnohrad lies just east of Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub that has become the main focus of the Russian offensive in Donetsk Oblast.
"People are leaving, but not as quickly or urgently as we would like and as the situation requires," Yurii Tretiak said on air on RFE/RL, adding that 20,000 people remain in Myrnohrad, including around 1,000 children.
Roughly 46,000 people lived in the town before the full-scale invasion, but many have left due to constant Russian attacks and shifting front lines.
"(Russian forces) are advancing little by little. The front line is now around 6 kilometers from the town of Myrnohrad," he said.
The authorities are organizing evacuations, mainly for children and the elderly, but many residents are reportedly leaving themselves due to unceasing Russian attacks in the area. Myrnohrad is planned to be completely evacuated by the end of August, Tretiak said.
The evacuation is also underway in neighboring Pokrovsk as Russian forces inch toward the town.
Donetsk Oblast Governor Vadym Filashkin announced an evacuation of over 700 children from four communities in Donetsk Oblast in early August as heavy battles continued in the direction of Pokrovsk.
As Russian forces concentrate more of their recourses on the offensive in Donetsk Oblast, the situation in the area in the Pokrovsk direction remains "extremely challenging," Kyiv acknowledged.
Andreas Umland
