About half a million people now live in Ukraine-controlled part of Donetsk region - Kyrylenko
Over recent weeks, amid reports that a large-scale Russian offensive in Donbas may resume, people have been leaving more actively.
As informs Censor.NЕТ, this was reported by the Head of the Regional Military Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko in an interview with Radio Svoboda.
"Taking into account the resumption of gas supply to a full third of the region and partial supply to ten communities (as of the beginning of the heating season), about half a million people now live in the Donetsk region controlled by the Ukrainian authorities," Kyrylenko said.
"But I would like to remind you that Donetsk region was the most densely populated region of Ukraine until 2014. More than 4.5 million people lived in the Donetsk region. Before the occupation of its part. After the occupation of almost a third of the region, 1,800,000 people lived there permanently, 1,670,000 lived there as of February 24... So in this case, half a million. We reached 350 thousand in July. Then there was a certain return of people. Now people are also leaving after a rocket attack on the center of Kramatorsk and periodic shelling of the central parts of cities that are relatively far from the front line," he said.
The head of the RMA added that the mandatory evacuation, in accordance with the Cabinet of Ministers' order of August 2022, continues.
