Sumy region increases number of settlements subject to evacuation

That's according to Volodymyr Artiukh, head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, Ukrinform reports.

"At the last meeting of the Defense Council, we decided to increase the number of settlements subject to evacuation. These are settlements up to 17 kilometers from the border, where, according to the military, intensive shelling may be carried out by the enemy," Artiukh said.

He noted that evacuation measures were carried out in advance in the region. Currently, 199 settlements have been included in the evacuation plan. The population of the settlements within a five-kilometer zone has been almost completely evacuated, whereas 49 settlements have been placed under the management and control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The regional governor said that over the past three months of this year, the largest evacuation measures were in the Krasnopillia, Myropillia, Yunakivka, and Khotin communities. About 15,000 people were evacuated there. Today, evacuation work in these communities continues. There are 3-4% of residents who do not want to evacuate yet, but almost all children from these communities have been evacuated.

Artiukh said that April 11 marked three years since the Sumy region was liberated from Russian invaders.

"For the Sumy region, this is an important date -- the third anniversary of the liberation of the region from the occupiers, from enemy troops. And this is thanks to the courage and resilience of our population, the Armed Forces, and volunteer defenders. Today, there are no enemy units in the Sumy region," Artiukh said.

He added that today the region has powerful defensive lines and continues to build them up and improve fortifications.

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