Nearly 10,000 civilians have been forced to flee their homes in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast since Russia launched a ground offensive there on 10 May, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
Among the displaced are 2,500 residents of Vovchansk, a city previously occupied by Russian forces in 2022 before being liberated by Ukraine.
“We have already evacuated 9,907 people. Some of them have been accommodated in the city of Kharkiv, some outside of Kharkiv, and a small number have left the Kharkiv region entirely,” Syniehubov stated during a television marathon.
9,900 people have been evacuated from northern Kharkiv due to the Russian offensive, including 2,500 from Vovchansk.
Rescue workers and volunteers are focusing on evacuating elderly individuals who can't leave on their own, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov. pic.twitter.com/Q1vf2UzR7v
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) May 18, 2024
The mass evacuations came as Russian troops initially advanced into Ukrainian territory along the northeastern border before their offensive was halted by Ukraine’s forces. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian push reached 10 km before being “stabilized.”
While Vladimir Putin claimed Russia does not intend to capture Kharkiv city itself, he stated the offensive aims to create a “buffer zone” securing Russia’s Belgorod region from Ukrainian shelling.
Read more:
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