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Over 7,500 civilians evacuated from northern Kharkiv Oblast

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Over 7,500 civilians evacuated from northern Kharkiv Oblast
A police car drives past a destroyed building in Vovchansk, Kharkiv Oblast, on May 11, 2024. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent).

Over 7,500 civilians in the north of Kharkiv Oblast have been evacuated from their homes amid heavy fighting in the region, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on May 14.

Of the 7,531 people who have been evacuated so far, 568 are children, and 201 are people with disabilities, Syniehubov said.

Russia launched new offensive actions on May 10 in the directions of Lyptsi and Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast. The attack involves more than 30,000 Russian troops, according to Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksandr Lytvynenko.

Ukraine's General Staff said on May 13 that Russia has "tactical success" in the fight for Vovchansk, a town situated less than 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the border with Russia.

"Active firefights are taking place on the northern outskirts of the city," Syniehubov reported on May 14.

According to Ukrinform, 5,000 people from Vovchansk district have been evacuated to safer areas.

Vovchansk, which had a population of almost 17,000 before the full-scale invasion, came under Russian occupation in February 2022. The town was liberated on Sept. 11, 2022, during Ukraine's successful counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast.

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Elsa Court

Audience Development Manager

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 (Updated:  )

The latest estimates appear to be significantly higher than figures published earlier this month by independent Russian media outlets Mediazona and Meduza that estimated 352,000 Russian men between the ages of 18 and 59 have been killed since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

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