Ukraine announces mandatory evacuation for children from 52 settlements in Sumy Oblast
Ukrainian authorities ordered the evacuation of children from 52 settlements in the country's northern Sumy Oblast, the Reintegration Ministry announced on April 5.
Residents in the region come under daily Russian shelling, with attacks intensifying in recent weeks, prompting large-scale evacuations from the region.
Local authorities plan to evacuate 297 children with their families or other legal guardians to safer Ukrainian regions for free, according to the ministry's statement.
Over the past day, Russian forces attacked six border areas and settlements of Sumy Oblast, firing 15 times and causing at least 83 explosions.
The town of Bilopillia, with a pre-war population of about 16,000, experienced the most attacks, with 15 explosions recorded in the area, according to the local military administration.
Last month, President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Sumy Oblast to inspect the construction of fortifications near the regional center.
Due to its proximity to the Russian state border, Sumy Oblast could be among the first regions under fire if Russia attempts to conduct another offensive in this direction of the front, as it happened in 2022.
Chris York
