UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Jul. 3 — A little more than 100 people remain in Kozacha Lopan, north of the Kharkiv oblast. Because of the difficult security situation, there is no contact with these people, so their condition is unknown, said Oleksandr Kulik, head of the information department of the Derhachi city council, to Gwara Media.

Two weeks ago, the Ukrainian military reported on the Russian first attempts to advance from the Russia-Ukraine border near Hraniv village toward Kozacha Lopan settlement.

“The Russians want to establish control zones along the border. They are trying to seize small pieces of land right next to the border,” said Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for the group of forces responsible for Kharkiv oblast.

According to Kulik, there’s no transport access to Kozacha Lopan right now. Civilians can evacuate only with the assistance of the military, who transport them to a safer place, or by leaving on their own, on foot or by bicycle.

Some of the people in the settlement are slowly leaving, at a rate of about two or three people a day. About 15 residents remain in the neighboring Nova Kozacha village, said Kulik.

Kulik added that no families with children remain in the border zone as they had been evacuated back in 2024.

On Jul. 3, Oleh Syniehubov, the governor of the Kharkiv oblast, said that local officials declared mandatory evacuation for families with children in the northern part of the Kharkiv district, including Pytomnik, Nove, Slatyne, Ruska Lozova, Solonyi Yar, Bezruky, and Leshchenky.

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