'Nobody wants to die': Ukrainians flee from southeast as Russia lurches forward

Ukrainian national police officers assist a woman during an evacuation of residents from the Tavriiske and Yurkivka villages in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in this screengrab from a video, Feb 3, 2026. Reuters TV via REUTERS

In the last few weeks, buses have stopped running to the village of Tavriiske in southeast Ukraine from the major city of Zaporizhzhia, some 50 km (31 miles) away.

As the war with Russia has drawn nearer, the village is slowly emptying. Maryna Vyshnevska, 35, said it had become too dangerous for her and her five children - some of the few remaining residents - to stay.

"We thought they (the Russians) would be driven back and all this would stop," Vyshnevska said, before packing her family and a handful of belongings into a police evacuation bus. "But when we realised it would only get worse and worse, it was better to leave."

As Russia and Ukraine start new US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, Moscow's forces have slowly ground forward along various parts of the 1,200-km (745 mile) front line in recent months.

While closing on the so-called "fortress belt" of cities in the eastern Donetsk region, Russian troops are also advancing toward Zaporizhzhia - which is the capital of one of four Ukrainian regions the Kremlin has claimed as its own despite occupying only part of the Zaporizhzhia region.

'EVERY WEEK, WE SEE MORE DESTRUCTION'

Fighting has intensified in recent weeks in key areas of the southeastern front, Ukraine's military has said, particularly around the town of Huliaipole - 40 km (25 miles) to the east of Tavriiske.

In Tavriiske and nearby villages, which sit in a bulge in the frontline with Russian forces on three sides, residents told Reuters during a recent visit that they feared for their lives amid the constant threat of drone and bomb attacks.

Police teams and volunteers roam the main regional road - which is shrouded in anti-drone netting - to rescue residents in danger. Local authorities said almost no families remain in the area around Tavriiske.

"Every day, every week, we see more destruction and a greater risk of entering towns like these," said volunteer Vlad Makhovskyi, 51, adorned with a tactical helmet and gear.

At one location, two men lugged an elderly woman out of a ramshackle house on a bright pink bed sheet.

Nataliia Fedorenko, 66, broke down into tears describing the mounting emotional toll of remaining in a war zone as fighting worsened. Like Vyshnevska, she also left.

"It's scary. Nobody wants to die. I know I don't have much time left, but this kind of death...?"