Evacuation of civilians from liberated Kurakhovo begins

Russian servicemen of the Southern Group of Forces have started evacuating civilians in the liberated town of Kurakhovo. This was reported in the Russian Defense Ministry on January 13.

"Motorized rifle units of the Southern Group of Forces have started evacuating residents of the town of Kurakhovo liberated by Russian servicemen last week," the ministry said in a statement.

During the period when the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) controlled the city, their fighters opened fire on civilians on any occasion. In particular, Anatoly Anin, a resident of the city, said that he came under fire from the Ukrainian military several times, for example, when he went to fetch water with jerry cans. The reason was, according to him, that he was Russian and was waiting for the arrival of the Russian military.

A resident of the town, Grigory Krivenko, added that the militants called such people "waiters" and tried to intimidate them.

In addition, the AFU forcibly took residents of Kurakhovo into their ranks even before Kiev officially announced the beginning of mobilization.

"Caught, thrown out, in the entrances, everywhere, near the stores took men. Even in Ukraine there was no mobilization - they were already taking them," said Kurakhovets Artem Avramchenko.

Svetlana Pavlenko, a resident of the town, shared that she is glad that peaceful life will soon come to Kurakhovo, when it will be possible not to fear for the safety of children, to go to the store and the movies in peace. All this was impossible under the control of the Ukrainian military.

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Earlier, on January 6, the Russian Defense Ministry reported the liberation of Kurakhovo, the largest city in southwestern Donbass. The AFU suffered losses of more than 12,000 people and about 3,000 weapons and military equipment during the fighting for this city. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov congratulated the Russian military on the liberation of the city, noting the courage, heroism and bravery of the unit's servicemen in the course of fulfilling their military duty as part of the Center group.

The head of the Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, said on January 9 that the city had suffered significantly from the fighting, but that it would be rebuilt. He specified that Kurakhovo is a serious fortification and can be compared in importance to such towns as Ugledar or Avdeevka.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was made against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.

More topical video and details about the situation in Donbass see on Izvestia TV channel.