“He was going to make a forced evacuation”
Vitaliy Barabash spoke with Politico about the ongoing crisis around Avdiivka. He described a front-line situation where a living in basements without ventilation, lighting, or heating has persisted despite the city’s call for residents to depart since late February. Roughly 2,500 people, including around 80 children — about one in ten of the municipality’s residents — remain sheltered in precarious conditions to evade bombardment.
“I would support the forced evacuation of communities like ours,” Barabash said in the interview. “A state of war brings limits on rights—that is war. It shouldn’t be reckless, but decisions for people, especially for children, are sometimes necessary.”
He also expressed concern that officers, soldiers, and volunteers risking their lives to aid those with limited options should not be doing so for people who could move elsewhere. The mayor indicated he disagrees with voters on this issue.
“I must also go door to door, trying to persuade people. I have three kids myself, and I worry about what would happen to them if something occurs to me,” the mayor of Avdiivka added in frustration.
Barabash noted that the longer residents remain cut off from the outside world in shelters, the harder it is for them to decide to leave. Some report having nowhere to go, lacking financial means, or having endured earlier conflicts and now choosing to stay. Others have left and returned after exhausting their funds, while a few hope for an end to the fighting that could allow them to stay put. The dynamics are complex, and the sentiment is mixed.
“I don’t know where the money will come from”
Political reporters also spoke with evacuees facing hardship. Pastor Oleg Tkachenko described the plights faced by those who left their homes: many found themselves uninsured against theft and losses, with belongings and livelihoods severely damaged. He personally experienced losses as well.
In Ukraine, there is little system for valuing lost or looted property and no straightforward mechanism for compensation. Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk has promised that, at least through the coming winter, free housing and ongoing pensions and payments would be provided. Yet questions remain about the source of funding to sustain these promises.
Authors of the report note that in the DPR’s near-abandoned ghost towns, residents feel abandoned and angered by relocation attempts. Some buildings are unharmed, but many lack water or natural gas, leading locals to suspect utilities have been shut off to prompt departures.
Many evacuees still hold onto the hope that the conflict will spare their homes. The Ukrainian government is initiating what it calls forced evacuations from the most contested zones. Deputy Prime Minister Vereshchuk described the effort as the largest exodus in the history of an independent Ukraine, as security gaps and service failures persist in the hardest-hit areas. With around 750,000 people unable to access basic services in extreme conflict zones, authorities are pushing for action to move people to safer locations.
According to the report, more than 12 million Ukrainians have been displaced since February 24, primarily within the country. Officials project another 220,000 people to be evacuated from the DNR before winter, and the evacuation plan could extend to 500,000 more people living in territories under Russian control. Among those affected are residents of Kherson, Zaporozhye, and Kharkiv regions.
Attack on Avdiivka
Open sources place Avdiivka in the north of Donetsk, part of the Donetsk-Makeevka agglomeration. Since 2014 the city has sat on the front line and presently is controlled by Ukrainian forces. Control of the surrounding areas grants leverage over northern Donetsk, Yasinovataya, and the southern approaches to Horlivka. The Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant, a major facility processing coal into coke and other products, is located there and stands as one of Europe’s largest enterprises in its sector.
Current reporting indicates renewed Russian advances toward Avdiivka. The defense line near Sands village was breached, and fighting intensified around Marinka and Krasnogorivka. On August 18, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed it had destroyed a Ukrainian battalion near Avdiivka, while noting heavy losses and a partial withdrawal for regrouping.
A commander from a Slavic brigade, speaking to RIA Novosti, said Ukrainian forces were advancing with artillery support from units of the Donetsk People’s Republic, using Avdiivka as an observation and firing point. He described ongoing operations aimed at disabling the enemy near Avdiivka and safeguarding friendly troops. He also mentioned capturing a vent at the Butovka mine as part of the efforts, noting that the fighting remained intense but the infantry pressed on with their assigned tasks.