With Russian forces poised to assault Pokrovsk, a key logistical hub for the Ukrainian military in the east, its weary residents are being forced to evacuate the city.
Key Ukrainian City Of Pokrovsk Orders Evacuations Ahead Of Russian Assault
Ukrainians bid their loved ones farewell at the Pokrovsk train station on August 30, where the war's front lines are now fewer than 10 kilometers away.
Zelenskiy, in his evening address on August 30, named Pokrovsk as one of the most challenging areas at this moment in the war.
Evacuation efforts have been accelerating in eastern Ukraine as the Russian military draws closer to Pokrovsk, an essential supply and reinforcement point for Ukraine’s troops on the eastern front line.
Prior to the war, Pokrovsk had a population of some 60,000 people. Today, it is nearly half that.
Ilya, aged 7, and his sister Valeriya, aged 3, walk along the train platform with their parents. Originally from Donetsk, the family was forced to evacuate from their home for the third time.
"Everything will be fine," Kateryna says through tears to her godson Yaroslav. She and her family are evacuating Pokrovsk now, while the boy's family plans to leave later.
The distant sound of artillery fire intensifies the sense of urgency as an elderly woman is loaded onto the evacuation train.
A young woman cries as she says goodbye to family members.
If the strategically important city of Pokrovsk falls, it could weaken Ukraine's defenses and serve as a gateway for further Russian advances.
Family members and friends make the heart symbol as the evacuation train begins its departure from the platform.
A woman struggles to hold back her tears aboard the evacuation train.
Vitalyna says she doesn't believe her family will ever return to Donetsk.
"To save the children's lives and my own, it is better to leave now than later," the mother said, adding, "It's terrible for the children."