Families with children have been ordered to evacuate the eastern city of Kramatorsk. The Russians are advancing. Trump needs his air defences against Iran, and Ukraine does not have enough to defend itself against missiles and drones, hence the greater civilian losses.
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Russian soldiers are advancing and approaching the strategically important city.\
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– This is a difficult but necessary decision. The security situation is steadily deteriorating, so it is unacceptable to allow children to remain under the constant threat of Russian attacks, says Vadym Filashkin, governor of Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine, on Wednesday.\
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A total of 525 children and their guardians will therefore be subject to mandatory evacuation from Kramatorsk and the surrounding area, the AFP news agency reports.\
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Kramatorsk forms part of the so-called “fortress belt” in the east that Ukrainian soldiers are fighting to hold. According to Western analysts, Russia is launching a new offensive in an attempt to break through this belt.\
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Russian forces are less than 20 kilometres from the eastern outskirts of the city, according to the monitoring group DeepState, which has close ties to the Ukrainian army.\
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Kramatorsk is among the larger cities that Russia has yet to capture in Donetsk Oblast, which the government in Moscow has annexed as its own.\
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The city has served as an important hub for logistics and supplies throughout much of the war since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.\
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Despite Russian forces drawing closer, around 50,000 people still live in the city, including 2,000 children, an official said in July.\
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Russia’s advance along the front line has slowed somewhat in 2026, although the Ukrainian government forces are struggling with manpower shortages and exhaustion. (NTB)\