Evacuation of civilians continues in Sumy Oblast

Ukrainian authorities continue civilian evacuation from communities in Sumy Oblast located close to the Russia-Ukraine border. (Sumy Oblast Military Administration/Telegram)

Ukrainian authorities continue evacuations of communities in the northeastern Sumy Oblast close to the Russian border after Moscow intensified its attacks against the region, local officials said on March 15.

Over 180 residents from areas adjacent to the Velyka Pysarivka community have been evacuated. The town of Velyka Pysarivka, with a pre-war population of about 4,000, experienced the bulk of the attacks on March 15 with 208 explosions reported in the area. The community is located directly on the Ukraine-Russia border.

Authorities in Sumy have long been issuing daily reports of Russian shelling, but the attacks have intensified in recent weeks.

In the past five days, three people were killed and 13 were wounded, including five children, in the Velyka Pysarivka community, local administration said via Telegram.

During the early hours of March 6, a drone strike launched by Russian forces in Sumy resulted in four injured individuals and inflicted damage on numerous residences, schools, and medical facilities. Another assault on March 7 claimed the lives of two people and left 26 others wounded, with six civilians requiring hospitalization.

The administration said a total of more than 4,500 residents, including 829 children, had been evacuated from 22 villages in Sumy Oblast, but gave no time frame.

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