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.
"At the moment, we need to evacuate around 45,000 people from Sumy Oblast, as decided by the Defense Council," Klymenko said, stressing that "this is not an urgent evacuation."
"We will try to persuade people who do not want to leave – we understand their reasons – but we must evacuate all the children," Klymenko added, noting that evacuees are being brought to Poltava and Kyiv oblasts.
Sumy Oblast, located on Ukraine's northeast border with Russia, is subject to daily attacks, and is situated just across from Russia's Kursk Oblast - the region subject to Ukraine's ongoing incursion.
Klymenko told reporters that about 21,000 residents have been evacuated from Sumy Oblast thus far, including 5,000 children. Ukraine's National Police said on Aug. 9 that a further 20,000 people would need to be evacuated from settlements in Sumy Oblast as Russia intensifies its attacks against the region.
"On one hand, we have pushed the enemy away from the border, but the enemy is still trying to retaliate," Klymenko said, referring to the incursion into Kursk. "And although, for example, we currently do not have artillery shelling, we are now experiencing air strikes, particularly with KAB (guided aerial) bombs."
Over the past few weeks, Russian troops have significantly increased the use of guided aerial bombs near the border areas of Sumy Oblast.
On Aug. 18, Russian forces attacked civilian homes in the town of Bilopillia in Sumy Oblast with guided aerial bombs, killing a 33-year-old male homeowner, and seriously injuring his 11-year-old daughter. Two other people - a 55-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man - were also injured in the attack.
The next day on Aug. 19, four civilians were injured in Russian attacks on different communities in the region.
The evacuation 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.
Klymenko told reporters that he expects evacuations from the most frequently attacked parts of Sumy Oblast to be completed within two weeks.
Chris York
