KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� Military authorities in the eastern Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk on Friday urged civilians to speed up their evacuation because the Russian army is quickly closing in on what has for months been one of Moscow鈥檚 key targets in .
The call for people to get out as soon as possible came as Kyiv鈥檚 forces are trying to divert the Kremlin鈥檚 military effort from the front line in Ukraine to Russian soil by launching across the border into Russia's Kursk region.
The urgency also underscored the Ukraine is making by taking the war into Russia with its ongoing Kursk assault that started Aug. 6.
The attack is a daring attempt to change the dynamics of the 2 1/2-year conflict, but it could backfire and leave Ukraine's shorthanded defense on the front line at the mercy of Russia's push. The Kremlin's forces have had battlefield momentum and superior forces in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region since the spring.
Ukraine is wagering it can cope with the strain on its resources in Kursk without sacrificing Donetsk. Russia apparently reckons it can contain the incursion without needing to ease up in Donetsk.
鈥淏oth cannot be right,鈥� Nigel Gould-Davies, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said Thursday. 鈥淭he outcome hangs in the balance.鈥�
Russia鈥檚 slow slog across Donetsk this year has been costly in terms of troops and armor, but its gains have mounted up.
Pokrovsk, which had a prewar population of about 60,000, is one of Ukraine鈥檚 main defensive strongholds and a key logistics hub in the Donetsk region. Its capture would compromise Ukraine鈥檚 defensive abilities and supply routes. It would bring Russia closer to its stated aim of capturing the Donetsk region than ever before.
Evacuations in the Donetsk region around Pokrovsk have become increasingly urgent in recent weeks.
Pokrovsk officials said in a Telegram post Friday that Russian troops are 鈥渁dvancing at a fast pace. With every passing day there is less and less time to collect personal belongings and leave for safer regions.鈥�
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned on Thursday that Pokrovsk and other nearby towns in the Donetsk region were 鈥渇acing the most intense Russian assaults.鈥�
鈥淧riority supplies 鈥� everything that is needed 鈥� are being sent there,鈥� Zelenskyy said on X.
That same day, authorities told people to start evacuating the town.
Pokrovsk officials were meeting with the residents to provide them with logistical details on the evacuation. People were offered shelter in western Ukraine, where they will be hosted in dormitories and separate houses prepared for them.
鈥淎s the front line approaches Pokrovsk, the need to move to a safer place is becoming increasingly urgent,鈥� the local administration said.
In Kursk, meanwhile, Ukrainian troops have taken full control of Sudzha, Zelenskyy said Thursday. It鈥檚 the largest Russian town to fall to Ukraine鈥檚 forces since the start of their incursion 10 days ago, and the success raised Ukrainian spirits while embarrassing the Kremlin.
A family who fled from Sudzha showed on Russian state TV the shattered windows of their car, the result of an attack while on the road.
鈥淎t the turn they were shooting, there were mines, we drove around the mines. Then we were driving further, the drone hit us in Bondarevka,鈥� said Nikolai Netbayev.
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Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. Samya Kullab in Kyiv, Ukraine, also contributed.
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Follow AP鈥檚 coverage of the war in Ukraine at
Hanna Arhirova And Barry Hatton, The Associated Press
