Nearly 10,000 evacuated in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, governor says

Rome Italy:

Nearly 10,000 people have been forced from their homes in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region since a ground attack launched by Russian forces on May 10, the governor said on Saturday.

The attack could be just the first wave of a wider offensive, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told AFP.

More than a week after its launch, “a total of 9,907 people were evacuated,” said Governor Oleg Synegubov.

They were fleeing Russian soldiers who managed to advance five to 10 kilometers (three to six miles) along the northeastern border before being stopped by Ukrainian forces.

Synegubov said Ukraine’s armed forces repelled two attempts to break through the defenses overnight.

The situation was “under control” with “defenders in certain areas conducting attacks… and sweeping operations.”

Moscow has attacked several settlements, including Vovchansk, just five kilometers from the border.

“In the area of ​​the city of Vovchansk, Ukrainian troops are reinforcing their defense,” Synegubov said.

There are around 100 people left in the city where “heavy fighting” is taking place, he added later.

Russian forces conquered 278 square kilometers (107 square miles) between May 9 and 15, the biggest gains since the end of 2022, AFP calculated based on data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Russia’s offensive “could consist of several waves. There was the first wave” in the Kharkiv region, Zelensky told AFP journalists.

Zelensky downplayed Russia’s gains in the offensive, but added: “We have to be sober and understand that they are penetrating deeper into our territory. Not the other way around. And that is still their advantage.”

Speaking about the offensive during a visit to China on Friday, President Vladimir Putin said it was a response to Ukraine’s bombing of Russia’s border regions.

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