Five children remain in war-torn Avdiivka, Bakhmut over defiant parents

A total of 128 children were forcibly evacuated from the settlements across Donetsk region where hostilities are raging. Eight more children remain in place, including four in Bakhmut and one in Avdiivka.

That’s according to Oleksandr Vdovenko of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, who spoke at a briefing on Friday.

"A total of 128 children, together with their parents or legal guardians, were forcibly evacuated from settlements where hostilities are going on... Eight children remain in settlements where hostilities are taking place, namely: four in Bakhmut and one in Avdiivka (where the parents are hiding the child from authorities), two in the city of Krasnohorivka, one in the village of Keramik (the parents categorically refuse evacuation)," official said.

It is noted that these reports are as of May 23, while mandatory evacuation of children with their parents and guardians kicked off on April 7. This evacuation effort covered 21 settlements.

Vdovenko urged all residents to leave for safer regions of Ukraine. "Unfortunately, shelling by the invaders is becoming more and more frequent. There are reports of wounded and killed civilians coming almost every day so don't neglect your life and the lives of your children. Remember: evacuation saves lives," he emphasized.

Vdovenko added that the issue of implementing forcible evacuation of children from some other settlements in Donetsk region, where active hostilities are taking place, is currently under consideration.

After agreeing with the Command of the operational-strategic groups of forces Khortytsia and Tavria, and the Coordination Headquarters on the issue of mandatory evacuation, the relevant decision will be made at the Ministry of Reintegration, the spokesman noted.

He recalled that in order to protect children in conflict, under the conditions of martial law, the government of Ukraine made a decision to carry out mandatory evacuation of children with their parents and guardians from individual settlements in Donetsk region.

As reported, Donetsk region is constantly under Russian fire as the enemy keeps killing and injuring civilians and destroying infrastructure.

Photo: Bakhmut/Liberov Kostyantyn