Parents in Kurakhove are hiding children from evacuation: what the police are doing about it

Parents in Kurakhove are hiding children from evacuation: what the police are doing about it

In the spring of 2023, the Ukrainian government adopted a resolution on the procedure for the forced evacuation of children from the war zone. Volunteers who are involved in rescuing civilians had long demanded this. At the same time, in almost every settlement near the front line, there are parents who refuse to leave, exposing not only themselves but also their children to mortal danger.

A true phenomenon of systematic lies and misleading of the police and other state services has emerged. Journalists visited Kurakhove in the Donetsk region, hid from FPV drone attacks, and witnessed the heroic work of the city police, who under critical conditions try to save children.

In Kurakhove and the community, the forced evacuation continues, but despite the danger, some people return, even with children. The police have to repeatedly search for people under shelling and conduct evacuation again.

The city has no electricity, gas, or communication, and food has to be cooked over open fires right outdoors, which sometimes leads to terrible consequences due to constant enemy shelling.

"The biggest problem for children is the lack of quality nutrition. Preparing it is purely a gamble. Recently, a woman in Kurakhove was evacuated. She went out into the yard to start a fire and a fragment hit her in the leg," says Kostyantyn Tunytskyi, community police officer.