The head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, Vadym Filashkin, reported a significant increase in the evacuation of civilians from settlements in Donetsk region to other parts of Ukraine: while a month ago 300-400 people were leaving daily, now the number has risen to 600-700.
Specifically, he noted that 1,370 people remain in the city of Pokrovsk.
"It is almost impossible to enter the city, so we only get there accompanied by the military and ask our defenders to help evacuate people. Several municipal workers and police units are working there. They enter at certain times, and we work with them to ensure people leave the city. It is impossible to deliver humanitarian or medical aid to the city, and almost every day the Russians destroy and shell Pokrovsk," Filashkin said.
In the city of Kostiantynivka, according to the head of the administration, 8,261 people remain.
"Authorities are on site and help people evacuate, but without police and emergency service units, evacuation would be nearly impossible because the Russians drop about ten air bombs daily, including GAB-250s, not to mention FPV drones and artillery. Almost the entire city of Kostiantynivka is shelled daily, as is the entire community," he said.
Residents are also leaving the city of Kramatorsk, the current administrative center of Donetsk region.
"The Russians shell both Kramatorsk and Sloviansk almost every day," Filashkin noted.
He added that 150 settlements near the front line in Donetsk region are currently without water, gas, and electricity.
"The Russians destroy our critical infrastructure and energy facilities every day. The winter of 2025-26 will be the hardest for us. We are currently working with volunteer and charitable organizations to prepare people for the heating season. About 25,000 people are now living in towns near the front line and need help — pellets, firewood," Filashkin concluded.
Vadym Filashkin stated that he himself and all his deputies, as well as the heads of the district military administrations in the region, are working on site; however, several departments of the regional administration were relocated to the city of Dnipro at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“I am currently in the region. At the start of the full-scale war, some units of the regional military administration were moved to Dnipro — these are departments handling document flow, clerical work, accounting, organizational issues. Having them concentrated in Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, or other cities in Donetsk region would have been simply a target for the enemy because of the large number of people. I am responsible for those working here, so I take maximum care regarding security,” Filashkin said during a national telethon on Wednesday.
The head of the regional administration denied reports spread by the Russian forces on social media claiming that he had left Donetsk region and was managing it remotely.
According to him, all military administrations in Donetsk region, as well as regional branches of the Security Service of Ukraine, National Police of Ukraine, State Emergency Service, and Prosecutor’s Office, “are operating at full capacity.”
“Personally, I, my deputies, and heads of structural units are present on site, as are the heads of local and district military administrations… We are working in the region, supporting defense forces, building defensive lines, preparing the region for the heating season — doing everything to help our people in these hardest times,” Filashkin said.
