Ukraine orders 2,177 children to leave Dnipro-area towns

Ukrainian authorities on Tuesday ordered 2,177 children with parents, guardians or legal representatives to leave 16 settlements east of Dnipro in the centre-east Dnipropetrovsk region.

Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the regional military administration, said the mandatory evacuation was being imposed amid increased Russian strikes and Russian troops moving forward.

“Within a month, families with children must leave these areas,” Ganzha said on social media. He said evacuees would be taken to transit centres and helped to find new accommodation.

Dnipropetrovsk region is frequently hit by Russian drones and missiles. Fighting is continuing in the east of the region, though AFP analysis of Institute for the Study of War data found that the Ukrainian army made minor gains there last month.

Russia's advance across the frontline has slowed in 2026, but Ukraine's army remains stretched by manpower shortages and fatigue as Russia's invasion continues through its fifth year.

The United Nations said the number of civilians killed in Ukraine in July rose to its highest level since the first months of the invasion.