Tragedy near Pokrovsk: children who were previously evacuated but returned home died

The war in Ukraine has been going on for more than three years, taking the lives of the most valuable – children. During this time, thousands of young Ukrainians became victims of aggression, lost relatives, homes or their lives. Every child death is a tragedy that pierces the heart and leaves an irreparable wound in the soul of a nation. This is not just a loss, it is the loss of a future that did not have time to bloom.

On March 11, Vadym Filashkin, the head of Donetsk OVA reported about another terrible episode of this war, which happened near Pokrovsk. Two brothers, aged 11 and 13, were killed as a result of Russian artillery fire, while a 14-year-old boy was seriously injured and is currently fighting for his life. This is not just a story about war, it is a story about unspeakable pain, loss and a decision that turned fatal.

In August-September 2024, all three children were evacuated to the Dnipropetrovsk region, escaping constant shelling. But later, together with their families, they returned home. Perhaps the parents hoped that everything would be fine, that the danger would bypass their home, that the native walls would protect them. But war leaves no room for hopes, it destroys them along with lives.

“This is terrible news in itself, but even more terrible is that we evacuated all three of them to the Dnipro Oblast in August-September last year. The decision to return home was obviously not made by the children themselves, but they paid the most terrible price for this decision.” – wrote the head of Donetsk OVA Vadym Filashkin in his Telegram channel.

His words are desperation, a plea, an attempt to stop new tragedies. He talks about evacuation every day, about the need to leave the danger zone, but not everyone listens. Someone does not want to leave home, others hope that “somehow it will pass”. But war does not ask for hope.

War is a daily fear, it is broken homes, it is the sound of sirens waking you up in the middle of the night. This is a farewell to relatives, which may turn out to be the last. These are the tears of parents who have lost the most valuable thing. They will no longer be able to hear children’s laughter, hug their children, see them grow up. And this loss is not just a personal tragedy, it is a wound for the whole country.

In August 2024, a forced evacuation of children was carried out in the Pokrovsky district. In Myrnograd, door-to-door visits were carried out due to cases of parents hiding children from evacuation. This decision seemed correct, but fear, insecurity and the habit of staying at home often prevailed. The result is new tragedies.

War leaves no room for error. She does not give second chances. And every child’s death is the price for hope, for refusing to evacuate, for believing that “somehow it will pass.” But it does not pass. And there is no way to bring back those children’s lives that were cut short that evening near Pokrovsk.

Let this story serve as a warning and make those who are still procrastinating, who do not want to evacuate, who think that it will not affect them, think. Because the war does not distinguish whose home is where. She destroys everyone who gets in her way.

Let the memory of the children who died near Pokrovsk become a call for salvation, for life, which must be protected above all else.