Officials have evacuated 525 children and young people from Kramatorsk and surrounding villages due to escalating attacks near the front line. The operation includes 59 minors from Krasnotorka, 140 from Bilenke and 326 from Kramatorsk, representing 424 families. Authorities called the move difficult but necessary; the area is one of the last Ukrainian-held strongholds and lies less than 15 km from the front line. Humanitarian teams are coordinating temporary shelter and support for the families.
Ukraine Evacuates 525 Children Near Kramatorsk as Frontline Threat Intensifies
FILE PHOTO - A Ukrainian flag seen in front of thick smoke which is rising from fire over Kiev after Russian missile attacks on Ukraine. (is associated with: «Ukraine evacuates more than 500 minors from Kramatorsk») Andreas Stroh/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Ukrainian authorities have begun evacuating 525 children and young people from Kramatorsk and nearby villages in Donetsk Region amid escalating Russian attacks close to the front line.
The operation relocates 59 minors from the village of Krasnotorka, 140 from Bilenke and 326 from Kramatorsk — in total representing 424 families. Officials described the decision as difficult but necessary to protect children from growing security risks.
Vadym Filashkin, Military Governor of Donetsk Region: "The security situation is deteriorating, so it is unacceptable to expose children to the constant threat of Russian attacks."
The metropolitan area around Sloviansk and Kramatorsk remains one of the last major Ukrainian-held strongholds in Donetsk Region. Kramatorsk is located less than 15 kilometres from the front line.
Russia, which has been waging war in Ukraine for more than four years, has demanded the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donetsk as a precondition for peace negotiations. Local authorities say the evacuation is a precautionary measure intended to ensure the safety and welfare of minors while frontline tensions continue.
Humanitarian and logistical teams are coordinating temporary accommodation, medical checks and psychological support for the evacuated children and their families. Officials have pledged to provide updates as the situation develops.
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