«Granny had her fingers blown off when she ran out to look for water»: Evacuations from Mykolaivka are deadly dangerous; drones are burning civilians in their cars

The situation in Mykolaivka is getting worse by the day. Ever since the enemy unit «Rubicon» entered the Sloviansk area, logistics and all movement have become significantly more difficult. The occupiers are trying to seize the strategic high ground in Rai-Oleksandrivka in order to paralyze the region.

«In Mykolaivka, every vehicle is hunted by a separate drone with a bomb»

russia is attempting to occupy Rai-Oleksandrivka in order to gain control of the strategic high ground and launch an offensive against Mykolaivka. Already, their drones are constantly monitoring all movement throughout the city, making any evacuations—or even departures from the city in civilian vehicles—impossible. Military analysts say that such units are not typically deployed to an area simply to demonstrate a presence. Their mission is to wear down logistics, neutralize UAV units, disrupt troop rotations, and create constant tension in the rear.

The occupiers have set up a system to monitor the route and regularly incinerate vehicles while they are in motion. Any movement in this area poses a serious risk.

This is also confirmed by Yevgeniy Tkachov, head of the «Proliska» humanitarian mission, in a comment to «Vchasno.» According to him, Mykolaivka resembles Druzhkivka, though several times smaller. Because of this, the concentration of drones is higher, so with every evacuation, there’s a more than 50% chance that the vehicle will be hunted and targeted.

«Mykolaivka is similar in nature to Druzhkivka, but it’s much more dangerous there because the town is smaller. In other words, in Druzhkivka, there were about fifty cars in the middle of the day, and 5−10 drones were hovering over the town at the same time. There was a chance that they would target someone else instead of a humanitarian vehicle. But in Mykolaivka, for those same 5−10 drones, there is 5−10 cars. There’s a much higher chance that the russians will attack civilians, because there’s one drone for every car,» says Tkachov.

Volunteer Bohdan Zuyakov, who evacuates civilians from the most dangerous areas along the front lines in Donetsk Oblast, adds: even now, there are times when they arrive to evacuate people, but no one opens the door for them. In particular, a few days ago, an evacuation was scheduled for a man born in 1937. However, when they arrived at the address, the yard and the house were locked. The grandfather’s fate remains unknown.

«We knocked and pounded on the door—no one answered. And the scenery there is rather bleak: the area is exposed to enemy fire, with burned-out houses and ‘mowed-down' trees nearby,» the man says. In addition, people are often unprepared for evacuation, even though efforts are made to let them know in advance when the volunteers will arrive. Whether they can even manage to escape the drones unscathed depends on how quickly they can pack up and how prepared they are.

«While they’re slowly getting dressed, we can already ‘undress' in the meantime. The drones change one another, so there are no longer any moments when nothing is flying overhead,» — notes the volunteer.

«It's just impossible to live like this; I decided it was time to go somewhere.»

Volodymyr, who was evacuated from Mykolaivka in early May, is already waiting for the volunteers in the building’s lobby. The windows in his apartment are smashed, glass is scattered all over the floor, and his belongings were packed up several weeks ago. He had been waiting for the volunteers for several hours, hoping he would be able to leave early. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out—it was impossible to drive into the town because of waiting-drones, which the military didn’t manage to take down until several hours later. There’s no longer any hope for an evacuation vehicle—the occupiers are deliberately targeting every car they spot.

The man gets into the car, crosses himself, and says he’s ready to go. He shows no tears and no regret at leaving home. He insists that Mykolaivka is such a hellish place that it’s impossible to feel homesick—the risk of the russians killing him in his own apartment is simply too high.

«It's impossible to live here, isn’t it? I didn’t leave the house; I stayed in the basement. It’s good that it’s warmer now. I covered myself with a blanket and filled up my water supply back in early spring. There are still a few bottles left there—I didn’t pour them out, in case anyone needs them. I ate the humanitarian aid they gave out. There was plenty of that, too,» — says Volodymyr.

The man says he didn’t know what condition Mykolaivka was in because he was afraid to go beyond his yard. For the past few weeks, he hasn’t even gone out onto the street; he’s just been looking out at it from under the roof of the building’s entrance.

«There's nothing to look at. Everything’s been destroyed. Nothing’s left intact. All day long, all I hear is bang, bang, bang. Very close. But I’ve gotten used to it a little,» — says the man, waving his hand dismissively as he checks to see if he’s put the book his son sent him into his small bag.

«People began leaving hungry; pensioners — wounded, and some will need amputations or major surgeries because of their injuries»

The distance from Mykolaivka to the front line—and, consequently, the danger—is roughly the same as in Druzhkivka. However, there are fewer targets, and the intensity of the attacks is greater.

At the same time, the situation in Rai-Oleksandrivka is catastrophic: civilians bringing in their own food, which they will rely on. All the stores are closed, and the settlement is a kill zone where it is deadly dangerous to move around. Wounded people are running on foot from the village to Mykolaivka under fire from drones.

«According to civilians who managed to escape from there, they saw about seven people. These are just the ones who are known. The area is monitored by drones and is within range of various weapons. People are already being buried in the yards of private homes—it's the only way to bury the bodies,» volunteer Maria Vyshenska noted in a comment to «Vchasno».

The woman says that the last ten residents of Mykolaiv who were successfully evacuated from the area under attack by enemy bombs and drones were in a state of neglect: there was no one in the settlement to provide assistance, let alone medical or specialized care.

Injuries in Mykolaivka resulting from attacks on civilians occur extremely frequently, often when locals are simply stepping out of their yards in search of water or hoping to buy groceries. The latter, however, is an extremely difficult process, since there is only one store operating in the town. There, you can only buy cookies or canned goods—foods that have a long shelf life, since it’s simply impossible to bring in fresh produce.

«We had a case where an granny`s fingers were severed when she went to fetch water. Her index, middle, and ring fingers were cut off—she had been carrying a water jug with them. She was evacuated the next day because it was impossible to get there that same day—more than 10 drones were hovering over the city. There are many such cases, but we don’t know about all of them. For example, doctors from the emergency station called us —the military had brought in a man whose legs had been blown apart. There was no muscle left at all—just two bare bones down to his thighs, lacerated by shrapnel upon impact,» — says Maria Vyshenska.

The volunteer emphasizes that every evacuation is now planned in advance and can take place only under extremely favorable conditions. Therefore, every day of delay in leaving poses the risk that volunteers, State Emergency Service personnel, or the «White Angels» may not arrive in time to save people from injury or death.

As a reminder, in December 2025, a mandatory evacuation of families with children was ordered in Mykolaivka and the Mykolaivka hromada. Prior to the full-scale invasion, the Mykolaiv hromada had a population of 21,600, while Mykolaivka had 15,700 residents.