The head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration Volodymyr Artyukh informed about the evacuation of residents of the region from the 5-kilometer border zone with Russia. The Regional Military Administration is preparing a relevant order.
He stated this at the results of the meeting of the Defense Council of Sumy region.
"Constant artillery shelling of border communities, the intensity of which has increased significantly recently, destroys infrastructure, facilities for life support, private homes, and most importantly, people die. If a total of 35 civilians were killed by enemy shelling from January to July 2023, then in the last month —17, including one child," Artyukh noted.
According to him, under conditions of constant shelling, it is almost impossible to restore the destroyed objects, because the enemy is shelling even the repair crews.
"Being in a 5-kilometer zone of civilian residents does not allow the military to effectively respond to enemy actions, to respond adequately, because this will expose civilians to even greater danger. Based on this, the Sumy Regional Defense Council decided on the need to prepare and carry out an evacuation," the Regional Military Administration emphasized.
Preparatory work is currently underway to give residents of border settlements a decent alternative to living away from the border, in safe areas.