Russian troops are relentlessly destroying the city. Burnt-out cars, piles of rubble, and shell craters—this is what a typical courtyard in Mykolaivka looks like today. How people are surviving here and how police are carrying out evacuations—in a report from the devastated town.
The conditions people are living in are catastrophic. The city has no electricity, gas, water, or communication. Meals are prepared right on the street.
Due to the constant threat of strikes, the police officers of the “White Angel” unit are forced to patrol the streets on foot. They are searching for residents who have been living in basements for weeks without basic amenities after enemy shells destroyed their apartments. They have to move as quickly as possible, running from one building entrance to another so they can find shelter immediately in case of another strike.
Despite the constant explosions, some residents continue to cling to the ruins of their homes. Some are willing to live in cold basements and put off evacuation until the very last moment.
The police received a report that a man with limited mobility needed immediate evacuation and medical assistance. Law enforcement officers learned from neighbors that he lives on the fifth floor of the damaged building. He had previously refused to leave his home, but now, with almost nothing left of the building’s entrance, he decided to evacuate. But when the police found him, he refused again.
It’s hard to communicate with those who remain. The “White Angels” keep trying to persuade the locals to flee, but all they hear in response is: “If they’re going to kill us, they’ll kill us.”
“The windows in the apartment are shattered, the balcony is destroyed. At night, we cover our heads with a blanket and count the explosions. Even if they burn the house down, I’ll move to the basement, but I won’t leave. I’ll die in my own home,” says the woman.
The police are trying to support not only people—while on patrol, they make sure to feed stray animals that have been abandoned by their owners.
On this day, the police finally managed to convince one man to leave. He decided to evacuate after an extremely difficult night and morning, when the city was shaken by strikes from guided bombs. “Before, it was still possible to get by somehow, but now there’s nothing left,” says the resident of Mykolaivka.
The decision to leave the danger zone was timely. As soon as the police car with the man pulled away, a powerful explosion rocked the area nearby—the Russians had dropped yet another guided bomb.
The Donetsk Regional Police emphasize once again: remaining in the active combat zone is a deadly risk. Evacuation saves lives.
Based on materials from the Main Directorate of the National Police in Donetsk Oblast