“You can’t put them in mortal danger.” Kyiv announces the evacuation of residents of the Donetsk region

Deputy Prime Minister for the Temporary Occupied Territories Reintegration Irina Vereshchuk said that Ukraine intends to carry out a forced evacuation from the Kyiv-controlled part of the Donetsk region. According to him, the authorities plan to evacuate before winter at least 200-220 thousand people.

Vereshchuk said there will be no heating in the region in winterbecause there is no “absolutely gas supply” and “correct electricity supply”. The Deputy Prime Minister referred to article 33 of the Civil Protection Law of Ukraine, under which the mandatory evacuation of the population in the event of an armed conflict is carried out.

“There is no suitable power source. In short, there will be no heating in the Donetsk region in winter,” he said.

On July 29, the Ukrainian government, under the leadership of Vereshchuk, established the Headquarters for the evacuation of residents of the Donetsk region. While the Deputy Prime Minister called on the residents to evacuate to safer areas of the country in order not to be left without electricity, water, heating, communication, food and medicine, he also reminded that there are conflicts in the region.

Ukraine’s Ministry for the Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories said the region was “on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe”.

“There are 52,000 children in the Donetsk region, they must be evacuated, they should not be exposed to mortal danger in winter without heat, without light, without the possibility of heating,” said Vereshchuk, describing it as “every adult’s responsibility”. family member.”

According to him, any resident of the area can refuse to be evicted in writing, stating that he “understands and is aware of all the consequences and is personally responsible for his life.”

“We are a democratic country, we cannot force anyone, but such a form will be mandatory and with the signature of such a person,” he said.

According to Vereshchuk, Zaporozhye region may be next for evacuation, 65% have no gas source. Part of the territory is controlled by Russian troops, but its administrative center is controlled by Ukrainian authorities.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister called on residents of the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions to evacuate, including in the Crimea. “This is necessary so that the Ukrainian Armed Forces do not endanger the civilian population during offensive operations,” he said. At the same time, Vereshchuk explained that he did not know “in what time frame” the attack would take place.

At the end of May, Ukraine’s GTS Operator reported that gas supplies to settlements in Donbass were completely stopped due to damage to the main gas pipeline. In early July, gas supply to the Zaporozhye region was cut off.

Reclaim the lands in a few weeks

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a message to a US Congressional delegation, said that the lost areas of Kiev should be returned within a few weeks because, according to him, the Russian army will gain an advantage with the onset of winter. .

According to Politico, the Ukrainian side plans to retake the Kherson region and part of the Zaporozhye region.

“The next three to six weeks are critical. Winter is coming. Colder temperatures and harsher conditions will slow the war into a grueling war of attrition that mostly benefits Russia,” he said, urging the US Congress to provide emergency assistance.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said earlier that Zelensky had ordered the army to retake the southern coastal areas currently under the control of the Russian army.

“We understand that it is very necessary politically for our country,” said the head of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

According to Reznikov, the Armed Forces of Ukraine is developing a plan for this and is gathering “million-strong combat forces” equipped with Western weapons.

Now the central and southern parts of the Kherson region and the Zaporozhye region (including Melitopol and Berdyansk) are completely under the control of the Russian army. Civil-military administrations were established in these lands.

Turn the tide of the conflict

Ukrainian President Andriy Yermak said on July 21 that the country’s leadership wants to reverse the course of hostilities before winter.

“The president is serious and ready to do anything to ensure that we liberate our land as soon as possible,” said Yermak. “A lot depends on the training of our warriors. There will be many surprises soon.”

Also, adviser to the head of the presidential office, Aleksey Arestovich, said that the Ukrainian army could launch a counterattack in mid-July or mid-August. According to him, the key to success in this regard is the West’s supply of modern weapons.

Negotiation opportunity

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said some of Ukraine’s Western partners are starting to “itch” about negotiating with Russia as winter approaches.

According to him, several countries began to actively offer Kiev to start peace talks with Moscow.

“We continue to very calmly explain to them why Russia’s hopes of taking a constructive position do not correspond to reality,” Kuleba said.

According to him, Ukraine sees no signal that the Russian side is willing to negotiate.

On July 18, Kuleba stated that negotiations with the Russian Federation were possible only after Ukraine won on the battlefield. “Negotiations are directly dependent on the situation on the front”.

According to him, the Ukrainian leadership plans to return the lost lands and completely restore sovereignty in the east and south of the country. He described this as the “final negotiating position”.