Ukraine begins mandatory evacuation from Donetsk

KIEV, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine has started a mandatory evacuation of people living in parts of eastern Donetsk, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Tuesday.

The first train carrying evacuees arrived in the city of Kropyvnytskyi in central Ukraine, Vereshchuk wrote on Telegram.

Most of the evacuees are women, children, elderly people and persons with limited mobility, Vereshchuk said.

On July 30, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a mandatory evacuation from Donetsk amid the Ukraine crisis. In mid-July, authorities were reportedly ready to evacuate up to 395,000 people.