Residents of Pokrovsk have “up to two weeks” to evacuate as Russian troops advance

Source: Radio Svoboda

Residents of Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, have a “limited window of time” to evacuate as Russian forces draw closer, according to Serhiy Dobryak, head of the Pokrovsk military civil administration. While 500-600 people are leaving the city daily, local officials estimate that the city residents may have “just one to two weeks left” to safely evacuate.

All municipal services in Pokrovsk are still “operational”, though Dobryak warns, that they may soon be shut down. He stressed that mandatory evacuation of children could begin as early as this week, with 4,788 children—about one-third of the pre-war population—still remaining in the city.

Some 60% of residents are reportedly evacuating on their own, using private vehicles. For instance, on Sunday, 490 people left Pokrovsk, with only 135 taking the train and the rest departing in their own cars.

The town suburbs have seen the highest number of combat clashes over the past month as Russia tries to seize this key transport hub of the Donetsk region.