Mayor: No plans to evacuate Kharkiv

There are currently no plans to evacuate Kharkiv, the city's mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said on air on May 15 amid a new Russian onslaught in the region.

Almost 8,000 civilians have been evacuated from Kharkiv Oblast so far, namely from the areas closer to the front line, regional authorities said.

Speaking on national television, Terekhov said around 6,000 of them had been taken to Kharkiv and housed in dormitories.

The mayor said there were enough supplies for the new arrivals in Kharkiv, but the city's power situation remains "tense" after Russian strikes on energy infrastructure across the country.

Russia launched new offensive actions on May 10 in the north of Kharkiv Oblast toward Lyptsi and Vovchansk, a town located less than 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Russian border and around 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the city of Kharkiv.

Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on May 14 that "active firefights are taking place on the northern outskirts of" Vovchansk.

Vovchansk Police Chief Oleksii Kharkivskyi said on the morning of May 15 that Russian troops "take up positions on the streets of the city" as heavy battles are ongoing.

48 hours in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s most-bombed major city

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