Two-thirds of Donetsk Oblast residents have been evacuated; 250,000 residents remain

Ukrainska Pravda — Tuesday, 2 August 2022, 22:56 

Two-thirds of the residents of Donetsk Oblast have been evacuated since February 24. Only the people who chose to stay to the bitter end remain in the oblast.

Source: the head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, on air during the national newscast

Quote: "The [evacuation - ed.] train started running yesterday. People were taken to specific accommodations with an understanding of where they were going and with all the necessary payments. There were 134 people. [They were transported] to Kropyvnytskyi. Today the evacuation continues for 95 people …"

"I stress that two-thirds of the residents of the region have already left. There are around 250,000 people still there. Of course, the pace of the evacuation is very low and most people have no desire to leave. However, the evacuation is happening now. The summer season is not over yet. We understand that people will act differently with the onset of cold weather…"

"If we say that the evacuation is slow, then [it should be noted that] the people who remain are those who won’t leave until the bitter end. Two-thirds of the region has been evacuated as of now. The evacuation has been going on since February 24."

Details: Pavlo Kyrylenko emphasised that evacuation is not mandatory but is about saving the lives of local residents and surviving the winter heating period. He added that almost the entire territory of Donetsk Oblast is repeatedly subjected to Russian shelling.

Background: The Government of Ukraine introduced mandatory evacuation of residents of unoccupied areas of Donetsk Oblast before the start of the winter heating season.

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