A total of nearly 37,000 people have been evacuated from Sumy Oblast, including over 6,400 children, as efforts are ongoing to evacuate more residents under expanded mandatory evacuation orders, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration said on Oct. 13.
SELYDOVE, Donetsk Oblast – “Kostia! Kostia?” Despite their volume, the volunteer’s calls dissipate in the strong winds coursing through the central streets of Selydove. This is the most dangerous part of any evacuation operation in a front-line city: making visual contact with civilians who have agreed to leave. Russian soldiers
Pokrovsk's train station is closed for civilian evacuations due to a deteriorating security situation, Donetsk Oblast Governor Vadym Filashkin reported on Sept. 5.
Several Ukrainian families, including 14 children, have been evacuated from Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, Presidential Office head announced on Aug. 29.
Another 4,912 children remain in 30 front-line settlements in Kramatorsk and Bakhmut districts, Governor Vadym Filashkin said on Aug. 21.
Ukrainian authorities are planning to evacuate a total of 45,000 residents from Sumy Oblast, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko told reporters on Aug. 20, amid ongoing attacks on the region.
"People are leaving, but not as quickly or urgently as we would like and as the situation requires," administration head Yurii Tretiak said on air on RFE/RL, adding that 20,000 remain there, including around 1,000 children.
Pokrovsk is an important logistical hub for the Ukrainian forces that supports their operations in Donetsk Oblast.
The evacuation from Sumy Oblast continues after the local authorities ordered further mandatory evacuation of 28 settlements in the region. They are located within a 10-kilometer zone that comes under Russian fire.
Over the past day, Moscow's troops have increased aviation activity near the border areas of Sumy Oblast, dropping about 30 guided aerial bombs on the settlements, Ukraine's General Staff said in its latest update.
More than 700 children from four communities in Donetsk Oblast will be evacuated away from the front line, Donetsk Oblast Governor Vadym Filashkin said on Aug. 4 as heavy battles continue in the direction of Pokrovsk.
Ukraine has secured an agreement with its allies to acquire 200 evacuation vehicles, Deputy Defense Minister Natalia Kalmykova said on July 27. The Strategic Industries Ministry is also working to ensure Ukraine can produce such equipment domestically.
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