About 4,000 people in the Sumy region refuse to evacuate from the border areas
In the border territories of the Sumy region, the security situation remains tense and changes daily. This was reported by the head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, Oleh Hryhorov.
The possibility of safe evacuation for civilians can quickly become complicated due to shelling and threats from Russian forces. He emphasized that people living near the border need to consider the real risks and not postpone the decision until “later.”
According to Hryhorov, the decision to evacuate from border communities is life-critical and should be made in advance, not when the danger is already at the doorstep. Organized and systematic evacuation in the border areas of Sumy has been ongoing since 2023. Its main goal is to preserve the lives and health of civilians living under constant threat of shelling and sabotage. Authorities stress that, in wartime, the safety of people must be an absolute priority.
From the 5-kilometer zone along the border in Sumy, over 16,000 residents were subject to evacuation. Most agreed to temporarily leave their homes for the safety of their families.
At the same time, about 4,000 people still live in these areas and refuse to leave their settlements. Some of them have formally confirmed their refusal to evacuate, despite warnings from the military and local authorities about real risks.
