Evacuation efforts ongoing in Donetsk region as front-line threat looms

In a new report from the Ukrainian Witness project, Selydove, Kurakhove, and Hirnyk in Donetsk Oblast are identified as being on the front line, with Russian soldiers present on the streets just days before journalists arrived.

Volunteers from the charity Dobra Sprava, including Vyacheslav, are actively engaged in evacuating residents from these dangerous areas. Vyacheslav, who has been evacuating people for over two years, recalls, “I was taken out of Soledar in 2022. The house and garage burned down. I was wearing only shorts at the time.”

Using his 16-seat bus, which can carry up to 13 passengers along with luggage, he operates based on demand, sometimes traveling daily. “My family treats it normally; they are used to it,” he said.

Despite Ukrainian defenders pushing back Russian forces, the enemy managed to capture nearby terricons and a mine. The city is currently without heating, electricity, or water, forcing residents to walk two kilometers to collect water. Fragments of shells litter the gardens, and a bomb that once fell in a yard is now the site of growing watermelons.

One resident, Vita from Hirnyk, is leaving with her family but leaves her house keys with a neighbor who is staying behind with his mother. “I’m in Ukraine,” Vita tells him. “I will live only in Ukraine.” However, just an hour after Vyacheslav and the evacuated family left, the Russians shelled and destroyed her house, according to Ukrainian Witness journalists.

The Dobra Sprava Foundation is currently raising funds for a new evacuation bus, and donations can be made via the provided link.