Title: Pokrovsk under Fire: Residents Face Unrelenting Artillery Strikes as Infrastructure Targeted
In the embattled city of Pokrovsk, residents are grappling with a deteriorating security situation as relentless artillery fire and attacks by FPV drones have become a daily reality. Local authorities have warned that the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure by Russian forces is putting the lives of thousands at risk.
"Our safety situation is worsening due to constant artillery shelling, including battles by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and FPV drones, which have been persistently harassing us," says a local official, who wished to be identified as Dobryak for safety reasons.
Dobryak estimates that there are currently around 7,300 civilians remaining in Pokrovsk, braving the escalating violence. Despite an initial surge in evacuations following the cutoff of gas and electricity supplies around December 12th, when nearly 3,000 people fled in a week, the daily evacuation rate has since slowed to approximately 5-10 people per day.
Russian forces have been actively targeting communal vehicles, according to Dobryak. "They’ve been deliberately targeting small 5-ton trucks that supply stores with food and even bakery vans. It’s cynical. We know these FPV drone operators can see where they’re flying and who they’re hitting," he recounts grimly.
Sadly, these tactics have claimed civilian lives, including a local utilities worker who was killed while commuting to work. Dobryak cautions that while some areas remain unscathed, it’s only a matter of time before they too become targeted.
In the face of this relentless onslaught, some essential services continue to operate. A few stores and pharmacies remain open, and territorial center specialists are urging elderly residents to evacuate. Waste removal and funeral services are also functioning, while communal workers are endeavoring to maintain and even sketchily repair critical buildings.
Dobryak notes that while some communal buildings have been put on standby, most repairs are concentrated in safer areas. In response to power outages, utility employees have set up makeshift heating systems for hospitals.
With the security situation continuing to unravel, Pokrovsk’s remaining residents face an uncertain future, enduring almost daily trauma as they watch their city and its crucial infrastructure come under sustained attack.
