About 50,000 civilians remain in Sloviansk

Approximately 50,000 civilians currently remain in Sloviansk, Donetsk region, including about 4,800 children.

Vadym Liakh, head of the Sloviansk City Military Administration, said this on Ukrainian television on Friday, January 2, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"At present, about 50,000 civilians remain in Sloviansk, including 4,800 children. Before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, before February 24, 2022, nearly 100,000 people lived in Sloviansk. [...] Evacuation has never stopped," he said.

He recalled that the largest number of residents left the community back in 2022, when the population dropped to around 18,000, as the city was almost encircled and the enemy was just seven kilometers away. Later, residents returned, but evacuation efforts continued.

Liakh noted that rail services from Sloviansk and Kramatorsk had been suspended, and people can only depart via the railway station in the city of Barvinkove, Kharkiv region. Residents are transported to that station by road.

According to Liakh, many more people are expected to leave Sloviansk after the New Year holidays, as the enemy has intensified shelling of the city.

At the same time, he stressed that "fortunately, the city currently has heat and electricity, everything is functioning, municipal services are operating, all services are being provided, and gas supply is also available."

According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces as of 16:00 on Friday, January 2, Russian forces carried out two attacks on the Sloviansk axis, targeting Ukrainian forces' positions near Zakitne and Pereizne.

Illustrative photo: Kyiv City State Administration