The Ukrainian government has announced a mandatory evacuation of children and their guardians from areas in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russia has claimed territorial advances. Donetsk Governor Vadym Filashkin stated that the decision follows daily bombardments of cities and villages in the region. “The opponent is bombing the cities and villages in these communities every day, so it was decided to evacuate the children along with their parents or other legal representatives,” said Filashkin.

The evacuation includes the city of Novogrodovka, located approximately 20 kilometers from Novoselivka Persha, which, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, has been captured. The Russian news agency TASS reported that the Russian army had defeated four Ukrainian brigades and claimed that “the enemy has lost up to 95 soldiers and two ammunition depots.” Filashkin confirmed that 744 children and their families are to be relocated to four different regions in Ukraine. “I have instructed that only armored vehicles should be used in the evacuation, as the enemy is actively using drones in these areas,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy concurrently announced that Ukraine has received its first shipment of American-made F-16 fighter jets. “We often heard the word ‘impossible’… Now it is a reality. The reality in our sky. F-16s in Ukraine. We made it happen,” said Zelenskyy, although he also noted that the number of available F-16 aircraft, as well as the number of trained pilots, is still insufficient.

The arrival of the F-16 jets marks a significant step for Ukraine after many months of waiting, though it remains unclear how many aircraft are available and what impact they will have on air defense and combat. Russia has previously indicated that it would target bases that could potentially house F-16s and has vowed to shoot them down to prevent their influence on the war.