Kyiv on Wednesday announced the mandatory evacuation of children from several villages in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, pointing to a dangerous uptick in fighting and recent Russian gains. In a departure from previous evacuation announcements, he did not name the villages, but said that around 40 children impacted would be relocated to the central Cherkasy region. “Mandatory evacuation is always a hard step. But under constant shelling, it is the only responsible way to save lives -- first and foremost, the lives of children,” Kuleba added in his statement. Ukrainian authorities routinely urge residents of frontline areas to flee, but mandatory evacuation notices are enforced and indicate that the safety of an impacted area has sharply deteriorated.

Source: Dhaka Tribune January 14, 2026 11:57 UTC