Over 20,000 people evacuated from Pokrovsk in a month, 24,500 residents remain
Source: Vadym Filashkin
More than 20,000 people, including 3,000 children, have been evacuated from Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region over the past month, according to Vadym Filashkin, the head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration.
Meanwhile, some 35,000 people still reside in the Pokrovsk and its suburbs, including 1,600 children, with at least 24,500 residents (929 children) remaining in the town many call a key logistics hub for Ukrainian troops.
Filashkin said the evacuation campaing involves local authorities, police, rescue teams, charitable organizations, and volunteers. The evacuees are being taken to safer regions, including Kirovohrad, Poltava, Zakarpattia, Kyiv, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.
While essential services such as doctors, private stores, postal services, and ATMs continue to function in Pokrovsk, the governor urged remaining residents to leave the town for safety reasons.
Rinat Akhmetov’s military initiative, “Steel Front”, has delivered a batch of drones worth UAH 214 million to the 1st “Azov” Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. This shipment is part of the Metinvest Group’s ongoing support for the unit in 2025.
On October 6, the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court of Ukraine continued hearing case No. 990/80/25, in which the fifth President and leader of the party “European Solidarity”, Petro Poroshenko, seeks to have Presidential Decree No. 81/2025 from February 12, 2025 — enacting sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) — declared illegal and annulled. The plaintiff claims the document was falsified and that the sanctions are a tool of political persecution of the opposition, contrary to international norms. Government representatives deny the allegations and insist their actions were lawful. Journalists of Bukvy were present at the hearing.
Rinat Akhmetov’s Metinvest Group has completed the construction of an upgraded underground NATO Role 2 hospital in one of the hottest sectors of the frontline. This is the second stabilization point established under the Steel Front initiative in cooperation with the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The new facility, funded by Metinvest with an investment of UAH 21 million, is more secure than the first one thanks to its deeper location underground (over 6 meters) and additional fortifications.
Five armored vehicles “Kozak” have received a new mission – thanks to the support of Metinvest, they have been upgraded to full-fledged command and staff vehicles. These upgraded vehicles are now operating on the front line.
A kamikaze drone flies directly toward an armored personnel carrier. But instead of penetrating the hull, it explodes on a steel screen. The crew survives. This is the new reality for Ukrainian forces, who have received enhanced protection thanks to the Metinvest project within “Steel Front of Rinat Akhmetov”.