ISTANBUL

Kyiv on Wednesday announced the mandatory evacuation of certain parts of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

A statement by Ukraine’s Ministry of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories said the decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

The statement said the evacuation particularly concerns the region's Pokrovsk district, particularly the cities of Pokrovsk and Rodynske, as well as 12 villages, indicating that a reception point has been set up for the evacuation.

It further said that evacuated children and those accompanying them will be provided with free shelter, humanitarian aid, and psychological support.

On Monday, Donetsk Governor Vadym Filashkin announced the evacuation of families with children from Pokrovsk city, as well as nearby rural and urban areas, where he said more than 53,000 people, including almost 4,000 children, still live.

“When our cities are within range of virtually any enemy weapon, the decision to evacuate is necessary and inevitable,” Filashkin said.

Pokrovsk is a key front in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, where Moscow has regularly claimed control over settlements during its offensive.

Earlier on Wednesday, Russia claimed to have captured the settlement of Zhelanne, located around 21 kilometers (13 miles) southeast of Pokrovsk.

Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on Russia's claims, and independent verification of the claims is difficult due to the ongoing war.