Ukrainian authorities are preparing to evacuate approximately 45,000 residents from Sumy Oblast due to ongoing attacks in the region, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko announced on August 20. He emphasized that while this is not an emergency evacuation, it is necessary to ensure the safety of the population.
"We must evacuate around 45,000 people from Sumy Oblast, as determined by the Defense Council," Klymenko stated, adding that the focus is on persuading reluctant residents, especially parents, to evacuate their children. The evacuees are being relocated to safer areas in Poltava and Kyiv oblasts.
Sumy Oblast, situated on Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia, faces daily assaults, largely due to its proximity to Russia's Kursk Oblast, where Ukraine has launched a military incursion.
So far, around 21,000 residents, including 5,000 children, have been evacuated from Sumy Oblast. The National Police of Ukraine reported on August 9 that an additional 20,000 people would need to be relocated as Russian attacks intensify in the area.
"Although we have pushed the enemy back from the border, they are still attempting to retaliate," Klymenko explained, referring to the Kursk incursion. "We are no longer experiencing artillery shelling, but we are now facing air strikes, particularly from guided aerial bombs."
In recent weeks, Russian forces have increasingly used guided aerial bombs near Sumy Oblast’s border areas. On August 18, Russian forces targeted civilian homes in Bilopillia, resulting in the death of a 33-year-old man and severe injuries to his 11-year-old daughter. Two other residents, a 55-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man, were also injured.
The following day, on August 19, four more civilians were injured in separate Russian attacks across the region.
The ongoing evacuation effort includes a mandatory evacuation order for 28 settlements within a 10-kilometer zone that is frequently targeted by Russian fire. Klymenko expects the evacuation from these high-risk areas in Sumy Oblast to be completed within two weeks.