Local officials announced yesterday that Ukrainian authorities have commenced mass evacuation operations for residential areas in the Sumy region, located in the north of the country near the Russian border, following prolonged periods of intense bombardment.
The military administration of the Sumy region reported on the messaging app Telegram that over 180 residents from areas close to the Velykopyssarivska area bordering Russia were evacuated over the past three days.
The Sumy authorities have long reported daily on Russian shelling, but the attacks have intensified recently. The regional administration described the targeted areas as “the most tense” in the Sumy region, where three people were killed and 13 others were injured in the last five days.
The administration revealed that more than 4,500 residents from 22 villages in the Sumy region have been evacuated, although a specific timeframe was not provided.
Velykopyssarivska is just a few kilometers from the village of Kozinka across the border in Russia, where local authorities this week reported significant damage caused by the incursion of armed groups.
These groups, describing themselves as Russians opposed to the Kremlin, claimed to be conducting a military operation in the area.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, stated that shelling of areas under his jurisdiction continued on Thursday, resulting in one injury. Gladkov, who toured the border areas late on Wednesday, asserted that no hostile forces were present in the area.
Roman Starovoit, governor of the neighboring Russian Kursk region, mentioned that air defense units shot down three Ukrainian drones on Thursday evening.
The evacuation in the Sumy region underscores the escalating tensions and ongoing conflict along the Ukraine-Russia border, with both sides reporting damage and casualties as the situation continues to develop.
