Russian attacks force evacuations in Ukraine's eastern strongholds of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk
Intensified Russian drone and glide-bomb strikes have prompted police orders for civilians to leave Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, the last major Ukrainian-held cities in the Donbas fortress belt.
Police in the Donetsk region have urged residents of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk to evacuate as Russian ground assaults and aerial attacks intensify. Pavlo Dyachenko of Donetsk police said the security situation had deteriorated to the point where leaving was "the only way to save your life."
The two cities, part of Ukraine's so-called "fortress belt," are now subjected to daily drone flights and frequent glide-bomb strikes. Volunteer Viktor Makurin, based in London, described the environment as "lethally dangerous" with remote-controlled FPV drones audible from windows and explosives constantly heard in the background.
Ukrainian police data show civilian casualties rising from 70 wounded in June to 212 in August, with 16, 20 and 15 deaths recorded in June, July and August respectively. Glide-bomb attacks increased sharply, with 40 bombs reported in June, 109 in July and 92 in August. On 25 August, nine glide bombs hit Kramatorsk, striking seven apartment blocks and wounding 24 people, including a two-month-old infant. A further attack two days later targeted both Kramatorsk and Slovyansk.
Russia now controls almost 80% of Donetsk region and nearly all of Luhansk, leaving Slovyansk, Kramatorsk and partially Kostyantynivka as the remaining Ukrainian-held urban centers in the Donbas. The capture of these cities is seen as a strategic step for further advances westward.
U.S. envoys recently discussed the situation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has rejected calls to withdraw troops despite Russian demands for a complete occupation of the Donbas by year-end.