'No grounds for evacuation' from Sumy, official says amid Russian offensive into region

There are currently no plans for mass civilian evacuations from the city of Sumy, regional Governor Oleh Hryhorov said on June 8, as Russian advances into Sumy Oblast have continued to gain momentum.

"There are currently no grounds for evacuation from the city of Sumy. The situation along the Sumy Oblast border is tense but under control of the Defense Forces," Hryhorov said on social media, referencing concerns on social media from residents.

Sumy Oblast has seen escalating attacks in recent weeks as Russia intensifies cross-border operations. Russian advances into Sumy have gained momentum since Ukrainian forces withdrew from most of their foothold in Russia's Kursk Oblast in March.

Sumy Oblast, which borders Russia to the north, has been a repeated target of Russian incursions and shelling since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

Sumy has repeatedly suffered from Russian strikes on the city. On June 3, Russian attacks on the city killed four people and injured 28 others, including three children.

On May 31, Hryhorov announced mandatory evacuation orders for 11 more villages due to intensifying attacks, bringing the total number of evacuated settlements in Sumy Oblast to 213.

The open-source battlefield monitoring group DeepState reported on June 8 that Russian forces have occupied the village of Loknia in Sumy Oblast, as the advances on small settlements along the border continues. Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the reported advance, and the Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify the reporting.

In May, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military to create a so-called "security buffer zone" along the border with Ukraine, while President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 28 that Moscow had massed 50,000 troops near Sumy.

As 50,000 Russian troops amass, Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast braces for potential large-scale offensive

Reports of an imminent Russian summer offensive and troop build ups on Ukraine’s border are raising alarms in Sumy Oblast and fears that a large-scale assault could be on the horizon. Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 22 said he had ordered his military to create a “security buffer zone”

The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima