Authorities have ordered the obligatory evacuation of residents from 11 extra villages in Sumy Oblast attributable to escalating Russian assaults, Governor Oleh Hryhorov stated on Might 31.
Hryhorov signed the order citing the "fixed menace to civilian life" attributable to ongoing shelling within the area. The evacuation covers settlements in native communities of Sumy Oblast, which lies close to the Russian border.
"(Russia) continues its terror of the borderlands, and our shared activity is to save lots of each life," Hryhorov stated in a press release. "I urge residents to not delay the choice to evacuate. Staying in a zone of fixed hazard is a direct menace to your life and well being."
With the most recent order, a complete of 213 settlements in Sumy Oblast at the moment are below obligatory evacuation.
The transfer comes as Ukrainian officers and army analysts warn of a attainable new Russian offensive concentrating on the area. On Might 29, State Border Guard Service spokesperson Andrii Demchenko stated Russia had amassed "enough forces" in neighboring Kursk Oblast to doubtlessly launch an incursion into Sumy.
Talking on nationwide tv, Demchenko famous that Russian troops have remained stationed in Kursk Oblast after being pushed out by Ukrainian forces throughout a counteroffensive in August 2024. Since then, Kyiv has noticed fluctuating numbers of troopers and gear alongside the border.
"They’ve sufficient forces there (in Kursk Oblast) to hold out operations in opposition to our border and try and assault the territory of Ukraine," Demchenko stated.
Russian forces just lately captured 4 border villages, Novenke, Zhuravka, Veselivka, and Basivka, prompting additional concern. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated earlier that Moscow is concentrating 50,000 troops close to Sumy Oblast in a bid to create a 10-kilometer buffer zone.
The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy