Donetsk evacuation zone grows by 159 km² as gas services in Slovyansk and Kramatorsk pledge to stay
Ukraine has widened mandatory evacuations for families with children in Donetsk Oblast by about 159 km², adding Novodonetske, more of Slovyansk and nearby villages. Even as the safe zone shrinks, gas service branches in Slovyansk and Kramatorsk say they will stay put as winter approaches.
Ukraine has again reduced the area where children are officially allowed to stay in Donetsk Oblast. As Russian forces advance and intensify their strikes, authorities have expanded the zone of mandatory evacuation for families with children, signalling how close the fighting has moved.
The newly added territory, designated on 16 September, covers the town of Novodonetske, additional parts of Slovyansk and several nearby villages. In total, the extra evacuation zone spans around 159 square kilometres. That change shrinks the share of Ukrainian‑controlled Donetsk that the state still deems safe enough for children to remain without evacuation orders.
Mandatory evacuation means families with minors in these areas are required to leave. It reflects a judgement that the threat from shelling and other attacks has crossed a line where the government can no longer tell parents their children can safely stay at home.
At the same time, some key services are refusing to move. Gas branches in Slovyansk and Kramatorsk have announced that they won’t relocate and will remain in their cities for as long as possible, even as the frontline approaches.
Their decision matters because these cities face a winter expected to be especially harsh. Russian strikes are steadily destroying housing and infrastructure, and reliable gas supply is central to keeping apartments, hospitals and other buildings heated when temperatures drop. If technicians and repair crews were to leave, every damaged pipe or valve would be harder to fix.
That creates a stark contrast. Families with children are told to get out, while utility workers stay under the same threat to keep gas flowing for those who remain and for critical infrastructure.
The expanded evacuation zone also carries a psychological weight. On a national map, 159 km² is a small patch of land. For residents of Donetsk Oblast, however, each new town or village added to the list is another sign that the buffer between the front and major cities like Slovyansk and Kramatorsk is thinning.
Russia’s grinding advance and ongoing strikes are forcing Ukraine into hard choices about who stays and who must go. For now, the continued presence of gas workers in Slovyansk and Kramatorsk signals an effort to keep these cities functioning, rather than treating them as places to be fully emptied.
Key developments to watch next include whether Kyiv extends mandatory evacuations deeper into Slovyansk and Kramatorsk themselves, and whether policies change on which categories of workers are expected or allowed to stay. The condition of gas and power systems after further strikes, and any new support announced for winter preparations in these frontline cities, will show how long authorities expect to hold and supply them.
Sources
- OSINT