Ukraine evacuates nearly 22,000 people from its Sumy Oblast, which borders Russia’s Kursk Oblast

The Ukrainian regional authorities have reported that almost 22,000 people have been evacuated from settlements in Sumy Oblast. The region borders Russia’s Kursk Oblast, where Ukraine began its incursion in August 2024 and established a buffer zone.

Earlier, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko stated that 45,000 people in Sumy needed to be evacuated. As a result, the Ministry of Internal Affairs selected top volunteers from the National Police and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine to carry out the evacuation.

“Only in August, the Russians carried out more than 2,200 attacks on settlements and territories in Sumy Oblast. The enemy is using heavy weaponry against the civilian population, including guided aviation bombs and FPV drones. To protect people, we are conducting evacuations, and to date, we have managed to relocate up to 22,000 people from dangerous areas,” said Chief of Sumy Regional Military Administration Volodymyr Artiukh.

He added that the number of evacuees is expected to rise. Currently, the priority in collaboration with international partners is to meet the needs of internally displaced persons from the region whose homes have been destroyed by Russian occupiers.

In particular, an agreement has been reached to install ten modular houses for 70 displaced people in the Sumy district, and the construction of a modular town for 100 people in Sumy is planned to start in September. The project is funded with the support of the Swedish Red Cross.

Still, Russia continues its aerial assaults on the city. The lift of the ban on targeting Russian bases inside its territory is needed to minimize the number of civilian casualties.

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• ISW: Russian forces likely to launch counteroffensive in Kursk Oblast, redeploying