Ukrainian official calls for evacuation from Kramatorsk in Donbass
2 Min Read
A Kiev official urges evacuation from Kramatorsk as Russian forces continue their advance in Donbass.
-
Ukrainians clear the rubble in front of a residential building heavily damaged in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024 (AP)
The head of the military administration in the Kiev-controlled section of the Donetsk People's Republic, Vadym Filashkin, has called on remaining civilians to evacuate the city of Kramatorsk, as Russian forces continue to make gains across Donbass.
“There are over 53,000 people in Kramatorsk right now. Leave... because the situation in the region is becoming more and more difficult every day,” Filashkin said during a broadcast on the Ukrainian telethon.
Facing continued losses on multiple fronts, Ukrainian authorities have been issuing evacuation orders, particularly in frontline zones. Children and elderly residents have been relocated from Avdeyevka (Avdiivka) to other areas of Donetsk, although some civilians have refused to leave their homes.
In parallel, emergency evacuations are also ongoing in the Kharkov region, where several areas have become completely depopulated due to escalating military activity.
Russian drone hit rate triples against Ukrainian defenses
A recent report by the Financial Times revealed that Russia's escalating drone warfare strategy is increasingly breaching Ukraine's air defenses, with recent attacks demonstrating a sharp rise in effectiveness.
Ukrainian military data reveals that 15% of Russian drones now reach their targets, up from just 5% earlier this year, as Moscow deploys larger, more sophisticated swarms to overwhelm Kiev's defenses.
🇷🇺⚡Rare footage into Russia's Geran-2 factory. The Alabuga plant pushes out almost 200 kamikaze drones per day.
— Spetsnaℤ 007 🇷🇺 (@Alex_Oloyede2) July 20, 2025
The Geran-2 has been the real game changer in the SMO, the US even started copying them. Cheap to produce and highly effective, with 2x F-16 kiIIs also to its name. pic.twitter.com/KzT3irVpn7
At the core of this progress is the Geran drone series, the domestically manufactured version of the Shahed platform, now upgraded with Russian-engineered enhancements.
On July 9, the Russian Armed Forces carried out one of the largest and most sophisticated aerial operations to date, deploying 728 drones and decoys in a coordinated strike that overwhelmed Ukrainian defenses.
Experts say the relentless drone strikes appear designed to wear down Ukraine's resources and morale, pressuring Kiev to seek concessions. The conflict has become a rapidly evolving technological duel, with both sides adapting tactics in a cycle of attack and countermeasure innovation.
🚨🇷🇺💥 In the latest massive strikes, Russia's Geran drones flew unchallenged across Ukraine, reaching Chernovtsy — near the Romanian border.
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) July 11, 2025
That’s over 500km.
You may ask, how? The answer is here 🧵 pic.twitter.com/2RCOjMicPb
