UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Oct 14 — In the Kharkiv region, 4,000 people remain on the left bank of the Oskil River, which flows through the Kupiansk and Izium districts. This area is a priority for evacuation due to the increased fighting, reported Oleh Syniehubov, governor of Kharkiv Oblast, at the briefing.

During the summer of 2024, Russian troops started to advance further within the southeast section of the Kupiansk direction in the Khariv region, recently gaining more and more ground in the direction of the Oskil River and trying to split up Ukraine’s forces in the area. Currently, fierce fighting is ongoing there. 

Oleh Syniehubov said that the left bank of the Oskil River is a priority because it is located very close to Russian troops. He notes that the distance to the front is only two and a half miles in some areas.

The evacuation intensified because the authorities were unable to provide heating and electricity and could not provide a humanitarian road.

“The enemy attacks our critical infrastructure. It is impossible to restore it there, as repair crews immediately come under fire as soon as they arrive,” said Oleh Syniehubov.

On September 27, Oleh Ivanov, the manager of the department for protection and safety in the charity “Coordination humanitarian center,” said that, on average, about 100 people are evacuated from the left bank of the Oskil River in Kharkiv Oblast every day, but even that pace isn’t enough to evacuate all the people living there quickly.

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