Ukraine orders evacuation of eastern town as Russia gains

Reuters Two Ukrainian soldiers stand in a field of sunflowers near Pokrovsk - both are dressed in military gear and helmets, with the man in the foreground holding what looks to be a large machine gun

Ukrainian authorities have ordered the evacuation of a key town in the Donbas region as Russian forces continue to make gains in the east of the country, despite Ukraine’s ongoing offensive into Russia’s Kursk region.

Officials said families with children living in Pokrovsk and surrounding villages would be forced to leave.

The head of the town’s military government, Serhii Dobriak, said residents had at most two weeks to flee the Russian advance.

The strategically important town of Pokrovsk is one of Ukraine’s main defensive strongholds and a key logistical hub for Kyiv’s troops on the eastern front.

Map of eastern Ukraine showing a large swath of the Donetsk region in red, showing it's under Russian military control, along with the city of Toretsk, close to the area of Russian influence, and the town of Pokrovsk, which is situated a bit further back from Russian attack lines

Donetsk region Governor Vadym Filashkin said over 53,000 people, including almost 4,000 children, remain in the town.

He said authorities had taken the decision to forcibly evacuate children and their parents or guardians.

“When our cities are within range of virtually any enemy weapon, the decision to evacuate is necessary and inevitable.”

Mr Dobriak said the rate of evacuations from the town had risen to about 500 to 600 people a day. He said that while basic services continued to operate in the town, they would likely soon cease to function as the Russian army closes in.

The evacuation order came even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his forces were continuing to make gains during their incursion of Russia’s Kursk region.

Zelensky said the incursion was “achieving [its] goals”, adding that more Russian prisoners of war had been added to what he called an “exchange fund”.

One of the aims of the incursion is reportedly to divert Russia’s troops away from the Donbas region, relieving pressure on beleaguered Ukrainian troops there.

On Monday, Russian military bloggers claimed Ukraine had blown up a third bridge over the River Seym in the Kursk region. Kyiv did not claim responsibility but the destruction of the bridge would likely further hinder Russian military logistics and help Ukraine consolidate its control over the territory it has seized from Moscow.

But BBC Verify has identified new pontoon bridges – temporary, floating crossings, quickly constructed and used in the absence of permanent structures – over the river, apparently constructed by Russian forces.

In these satellite images taken on Saturday, the two recently built crossings, near Glushkovo, can be seen.

New bridges across the River Seym near Glushkovo, from 17 August

PLANET LABS PBC Aerial photos from 17 August show bridge structures across the river Seym near Glushkovo — New bridges across the River Seym near Glushkovo, from 17 August

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank said that while Russia appeared committed to a strategy of “gradual creeping advances” in the east, Ukraine’s surprise advance into Kursk showed that seizing the initiative had allowed Kyiv to make significant gains rather than slowly losing a “war of attrition”.

Kyiv claims to have seized nearly 1,000 sq km (621 sq miles) of Russian territory since it first attacked its neighbour on 6 August. By contrast, the ISW estimates that Russia gained about 1,175 sq km (730 sq miles) between January and July.