Ukrainians evacuating frontline Donetsk villages under heavy Russian shelling

By Davit Kachkachishvili

DONETSK, Ukraine (AA) – The evacuation of the Ukrainian people living in the frontline villages of Donetsk continues under heavy Russian shelling.

Footages recorded by the Anadolu Agency team on the ground showed the ongoing evacuations in the villages of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, known as one of the hot spots of the war.

Teams of volunteers and representatives of the Ukrainian security forces help those who demand evacuation from the villages 1.5 miles away from the front lines.

They also deliver humanitarian aids for needy people in the region.

Footages showed that villages were heavily damaged due to clashes, with particularly unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and artillery systems used.

The Anadolu Agency team heard frequent explosions during the evacuation.

Igor Grunskiy, a father of nine, said he had to leave his home like many others due to intense attacks by the Russian forces.

"The attacks intensified. I had to go ... My family was evacuated to Slovakia in March," he told Anadolu Agency.

Grunskiy is planning to go to his relatives’ place in Dnipro, but he wants to return home as soon as possible.

Igor Ugvinenko, a security officer responsible for the evacuation of civilians and distribution of humanitarian aid in the city of Sloviansk and the surrounding villages, spoke to Anadolu Agency about the ongoing efforts in the region.

Teams are evacuating people from the areas near the front lines, while they are also delivering aid to civilians who wanted to stay in the region, he said.

"We are given a list of people in need. We deliver the aid collected by volunteers across Ukraine," Ugvinenko said, adding both aid distribution and evacuation of civilians continue daily.

Nearly 4,900 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the beginning of the war on Feb. 24, according to UN figures.

Over 15 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including more than 8.7 million that have fled to other countries.