Pokrovsk used to be one of those places.
“It’s crazy,” he says as we head for the city, “because this used to be the haven, the safest city in the region and the biggest hospital. The evacuation train was departing from Pokrovsk.”
If and when Russian forces take the city, it will deprive the Ukrainian military of a key supply and transport hub.
Ukraine has already lost the output from a crucial coal mine in the area – the only one producing coking coal for its steel industry. Operations were suspended last month because of the Russian advance.
We join Anton for the journey to Pokrovsk. He has a tourniquet, and a separate medical kit attached to the front of his body armour. His white high-visibility jacket bears the slogan “leave no-one behind”.
Before we set off, there’s a warning. “When we park, get out of the vehicles and don’t stand nearby,” Anton tells us, “in case they are targeted.”
The closer we get the more explosions we hear. War has left its mark, draining the city of life. Streets are deserted, and houses boarded up. Some buildings have been flattened. There’s no smoke from the chimneys on snow-capped rooves. We pass a parked car with a white flag.
But we find Olga, already waiting by the roadside, wrapped up in a lilac winter coat and furry hood. She’s one of six people on Anton’s list for evacuation this time.
She goes to lock up her home – moving quickly despite her 71 years. And then she gets into the van and does not look back.
