Evacuations Rise as Ukraine's Donetsk Residents Flee Ruined Cities

For many in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, the decision to evacuate often comes down to a single, life-altering explosion. For 69-year-old Tetiana Zaichikova, that moment arrived when a strike demolished her home, leaving her with no choice but to leave. The area has been a hotspot of intense conflict for years, with evacuations ongoing since Russia's invasion began more than three years ago. Town after town in this region, which is larger than Slovenia or comparable to Massachusetts, is rapidly depopulating as Russian forces now control about 70% of it.

Despite the dangers, some residents remain in these shattered cities, holding onto the hope that the war might end soon. This optimism is fueled by international peace efforts, primarily driven by U.S. President Donald Trump, though these initiatives have yet to produce any real progress. People cling on until the risks become too great, even for military and police to enter safely.

Also Read: Nawrocki Meets Trump to Push U.S. Troops’ Presence Amid Russia Tensions

“We held out hope through every negotiation round,” Zaichikova said, still showing bruises and hematomas on her face. “We believed they might reach an agreement that would let us stay in our homes.” Zaichikova narrowly escaped death that fateful night. If she had taken even one more step into her kitchen, she is certain she wouldn't have survived.

In Kostyantynivka, a city that once bustled with around 67,000 residents, life has descended into chaos in recent months. Reliable electricity, water, and gas are nonexistent, and nightly bombardments have intensified. Russian forces unleash a barrage of weapons, while Ukrainian troops respond in kind, turning this former industrial center into a battlefield dominated by overhead drones.

Zaichikova knew the city was unlivable, but she couldn't bear to abandon the place where she had spent her entire life and taught music at a local kindergarten. On the night of August 28, after months of rarely venturing outside, she simply wanted to make tea before bed. She turned on a night lamp and headed toward the kitchen. As she reached for the light switch, the explosion struck.

A wooden beam and shelves crashed down on her. When she regained consciousness, she was trapped under rubble that piled as high as her standing height, with the building's entrance blocked. Emergency services no longer operated in the area—it was too hazardous even for soldiers. “If we had been on fire, we would have just burned,” she recalled.

Her neighbor worked through the night and into the next day, swinging a sledgehammer to create an escape hole. Once outside, Zaichikova saw what she believed was the crater from a glide bomb. A few days later, she finally fled the city. “I resisted leaving until the very end, but that blast was the breaking point,” she said. “As I was driven away, I saw the city in ruins—blackened and destroyed.”

Police officer Yevhen Mosiichuk has been making near-daily trips into Kostyantynivka for the past year to help evacuate residents, and he's seen conditions worsen dramatically. The city is now perched on Ukraine's dwindling controlled territory, squeezed just west of Russian-occupied Bakhmut and nearly surrounded on three sides by enemy forces. “Evacuations are incredibly challenging because the city is under constant assault,” Mosiichuk explained, citing threats from drones, artillery, rockets, and glide bombs.

As he spoke, a drone detector in his vehicle began beeping. “Looks like it's picked up drones,” he noted. They drove across the river, spotting one drone flying overhead toward the bridge before jamming it with their equipment. Their van is equipped with anti-drone netting, and they navigate through protective mesh corridors designed to make drones detonate early or fail. “The situation deteriorates not over days or weeks, but every single minute,” Mosiichuk said. “They're deploying every weapon at their disposal.”

For civilians, this means their city could soon vanish from the map, much like other major Donetsk towns such as Avdiivka and Bakhmut, which have become ghost towns, stripped of their industrial and historical significance.Those who remain are mostly elderly, often disabled, and impoverished. For them, leaving their homes means facing an uncertain future with little support. Some have said they'd rather die in place than abandon everything.

Wearing protective helmets and body armor, Mosiichuk and his team approached an apartment building to evacuate residents who had requested help. The entrance was strewn with broken glass, and every floor had shattered windows. They made their way up to the seventh floor, where a few residents peered out at the noise. The police urged them to leave immediately, warning that soon it would be impossible to enter the city at all.

Also Read: Kim-Putin Call Strengthens Alliance in Ukraine Conflict