Governor reports 25 civilian casualties, near 8,000 evacuations amid Russian assault on Kharkiv Oblast

Almost 8,000 civilians have been evacuated amid Russia's offensive in northern Kharkiv Oblast, which has killed at least one civilian and injured 24 others over the past day, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on the morning of May 15.

Russia launched new offensive actions on May 10 toward Lyptsi and Vovchansk, two settlements in the north of Kharkiv Oblast close to the Russian border.

Russian shelling of Vovchansk killed a 79-year-old woman at around midday, while an attack later in the afternoon left two people injured, Syniehubov said.

Syniehubov reported on May 14 that an 83-year-old man was also killed in Hatyshche, a village on the outskirts of the town.

Ukrainian troops repelled 11 Russian attacks in these directions over the past day, and three clashes are still ongoing, Syniehubov said.

The region is also under attack from the east, in the direction of the already established front line near Kupiansk, where Russian forces carried out 16 attacks.

According to Syniehubov, 7,991 people have been evacuated from the region, including 2,202 residents of the Chuhuiv district, which encompasses Vovchansk, and 3,533 from the Kharkiv district, which includes Lyptsi.

The city of Kharkiv, located about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the border with Russia, was hit by six attacks over the course of the day, Syniehubov said.

Multiple air strikes injured 22 people in Kharkiv, and damaged apartments, an educational building, and cars.

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The first signs that something ominous is happening in Kharkiv come as soon as the train from Kyiv reaches the suburbs of the city – as two pillars of smoke appear in the distance, every single phone in the carriage erupts with a piercing electronic squawking. “I guess we’ve arrived,

The Kyiv IndependentChris York