Ukraine officials order evacuation of families from Pokrovsk as Russian troops approach – Times of India

Authorities in Pokrovsk, an eastern Ukrainian city home to 53,000 residents, have ordered the evacuation of all families with children. The order, announced on Monday, comes as Russian troops rapidly approach the city’s outskirts.
The mandatory evacuation order was issued on Monday due to the rapid advancement of Russian forces toward the city.
“We are starting the forced evacuation of families with children from the Pokrovsk community,” Donetsk governor Vadym Filashkin said.
Pokrovsk lies on the intersection of a key road that supplies Ukrainian troops and towns across the eastern front and has long been a target for the Russian army.
Authorities have stressed that it is obligatory for families to depart from Pokrovsk and surrounding towns.
Ukraine damaged third Russian bridge
Earlier on Monday, Ukraine said it progressed in its ongoing offensive into Russia‘s Kursk region, which began two weeks ago, as Moscow confirmed that Ukrainian forces have successfully damaged a third bridge, in addition to two others previously targeted, which were being used to supply Russian troops in the region.
The Kyiv confirmed capturing more than 80 settlements, covering an area exceeding 1,150 square kilometers since the surprise attack was launched on August 6. This marks the most significant invasion of Russian territory since World War Two.
According to Ukrainian officials, the primary objectives of the assault on the Kursk region, which shares a border with eastern Ukraine, are to establish a buffer zone and strain Russia’s military resources. This comes more than two years after Russia initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in a message on the Telegram messaging app on Monday, said, “We are achieving our goals.”