In the heart of eastern Ukraine, the city of Pokrovsk is rapidly transforming into a scene of departure and abandonment. Along the streets, library books are heaped, awaiting transport, while across the way, workers dismantle a supermarket sign from a store that shuttered just weeks ago. A short distance away, an evacuation train stands ready at the station, its platform crowded with anxious residents preparing to flee.
Russian Forces Close In
This once-thriving mining city is now on the brink, with Russian forces positioned just 7 miles (11 kilometers) away, advancing with relentless determination. As the threat of a full-scale assault looms, Ukrainian authorities have urged residents to evacuate within the next two weeks, fearing the worst.
Among those at the station is Maryna, a 33-year-old mother, waiting with her three children—Angelina, Maria, and Oleksandra—surrounded by packed bags. Their destination is Rivne, a city far to the west of Ukraine, a place where they hope to find safety. But for Maryna, leaving Pokrovsk, the place where her family has deep roots, is a painful decision. “Our neighbours’ house was hit – and that’s when I realised how dangerous it is. We just had to move,” she explains.
While Maryna is convinced that leaving is the right choice, the emotional toll is evident. “I just feel pain,” she admits, expressing concern that many of her neighbors have chosen to stay behind. “Still a lot of people are staying, and they do not understand they could die. It is too dangerous, especially if you have children,” she warns. For those who have decided to remain, the future is uncertain, and the life that awaits Maryna and her children in Rivne is equally unclear, as they prepare to live as displaced persons.
The Collapse of Ukraine’s Eastern Front
On this sweltering 35°C (95°F) summer day, the station is filled with hundreds of people, all forced to flee due to the gradual collapse of Ukraine’s eastern front. This collapse began with the fall of Avdivvka in February, during a period when U.S. military aid was temporarily blocked by Congress. Although aid resumed in April, Russian forces have maintained their momentum, employing waves of infantry attacks backed by heavy shelling. Ukraine, on the other hand, has struggled to establish deep defensive lines, leading to accusations of disorganization in retreat.
Inside the evacuation train, the atmosphere is stifling. Compartments are packed with people, their lives compressed into suitcases and bags, many of which are too heavy to lift without assistance. Some passengers have brought along their pet cats, clinging to the last tangible connection to the homes they’ve left behind. The train’s journey will take 21 hours, transporting its passengers to an unfamiliar part of the country, with no certainty of ever returning to their homes.
Stories of Fear and Resilience
Tetiana, who decided that her third-floor apartment in Pokrovsk was too high to be safe, shares a compartment with Nina, a frail 73-year-old woman forcibly evacuated by Ukrainian soldiers from Kurakhove, a town 20 miles to the south. Across from them sits Vera, who fled from Novopavlivka, a village even closer to the frontline. “It was insufferable. We had hoped they wouldn’t make it here, but over the last few weeks the Russians have got very close. The explosions are constant now,” Vera recounts.
In Pokrovsk itself, the sounds of war are distant and sporadic on the day the Guardian visits. The city remains busy, with many residents still on the streets, grappling with the decision to stay or leave. Serhii Dobryak, head of the city’s military administration, reports that since August 10, approximately 4,300 people, including 1,000 children, have already evacuated. However, the majority of the city’s population, around 58,000 people, remain, reflecting the suddenness of the Russian advance that has caught many by surprise.
Dire Conditions on the Frontline
Closer to the front, the situation is far more dire. Oleksander Gamanyuk, a volunteer from the group Rose on the Arm, paints a grim picture of the villages to the east. Previously encountered by the Guardian in Kupiansk a year earlier, Gamanyuk is now at the Pokrovsk station, having helped bring residents from their homes to the evacuation train. Earlier that day, he was in Novohrodivka, right on the frontline. “Russian soldiers were shooting at cars as we left,” he recounts, shaking his head and expressing nervous relief at having made it back to the station alive. He estimates that the Russian forces could reach Pokrovsk in just two weeks.
At 2:10 p.m., the evacuation train departs, carrying 600 evacuees on a special extended route that operates every eight days, according to Dobryak. Their destination is Rivne, where displaced adults will receive a monthly stipend of 2,000 hryvnia (approximately £37) and an additional 3,000 hryvnia for each child to assist with resettlement. However, the reality of their new living conditions—dormitories or other shared accommodations of uncertain quality—casts a shadow over their future. “People have ended up in cowsheds and come back,” one person notes, though Dobryak remains optimistic, suggesting that this is an opportunity for people to “get something together and move on.”
The Impact of Pokrovsk’s Fall on the Eastern Front
Pokrovsk, once regarded as the safest place in the Donbas region, served as a hub for road and rail traffic, where journalists would stay overnight in the early years of the war, when the frontline was still 30 miles away. However, the city’s main hotel, the Druzhba, was destroyed in a missile strike last August, forcing reporters to relocate. Despite the exodus, civilian and military logistics continue to flow through Pokrovsk, with vehicles heading east and ambulances returning west.
The potential loss of Pokrovsk would complicate the supply route from Dnipro to key cities like Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in the east. However, alternative roads are reportedly being constructed following discussions with the military, according to Vadym Filashkin, governor of the Donetsk region.
As the evacuation train rumbles towards Rivne, the fate of those left behind in Pokrovsk hangs in the balance, with the relentless advance of Russian forces threatening to engulf yet another Ukrainian city.
