Over 1,200 residents remain in Pokrovsk, evacuation nearly impossible

A total of 1,256 residents remain in Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, and evacuation from the hromada is practically impossible. [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories – ed.]

Source: Vadym Filashkin, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, during the national joint 24/7 newscast

Quote: "At present, there are 1,256 people in the city. Local residents cannot leave their shelters or go out on their own, as the enemy shells the city daily. We have seen how the Russian army shoots elderly people who went out to charge their phones at an invincibility centre or fetch drinking water. Evacuation from the hromada is almost impossible today." [An invincibility point is a heated premises stocked with food and power banks to assist residents facing hardships due to power cuts – ed.]

Details: Filashkin gave an example of a recent evacuation of six residents with their pets from Pokrovsk, which took more than three days and was carried out by soldiers of the 425th Skelia Separate Assault Regiment.

He also urged residents of other towns in Donetsk Oblast close to the front line, particularly Kostiantynivka, to leave.

According to Filashkin, 5,274 people currently remain in the Kostiantynivka hromada, including 5,200 in the city itself. It is impossible to receive qualified medical assistance there, and there is no gas, water, or electricity supply.

Overall, about 200,500 people remain in Donetsk Oblast, including over 13,000 children, 1,100 people with limited mobility, and 91,000 elderly residents.

Read also: How Pokrovsk is imperceptibly falling: five observations by Ukrainska Pravda

Background:

• On 26 October, Zelenskyy reported that the Russians had concentrated their main strike group against Pokrovsk, representing a significant number of forces.
• Ukrainska Pravda has learnt that at least 250 Russian troops are in Pokrovsk – they are engaging in firefights and killing Ukrainian soldiers, particularly drone operators, at their positions. Logistics into the city are fully controlled by Russian drones, forcing Ukrainian soldiers to walk 10-15 km to reach their positions. Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad are at risk of being encircled.
• DeepState reported that Russian forces have made advances in Pokrovsk, where 45 combat clashes occurred in the past 24 hours.
• The 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Air Assault Forces reported that Russia had deployed about 11,000 troops in its effort to encircle Pokrovsk.

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