UKRAINE, June 19 — Russians killed dozens of civilians in Vovchansk, said Oleh Syniehubov, Kharkiv Oblast Governor, in an interview with Ukrinform on June 18.

On May 10, Russia launched a new ground offensive north and northeast of the Kharkiv region, in the Vovchansk and Lyptsi directions. Currently, the frontline is reportedly stabilized by Ukraine’s troops, and heavy fighting is ongoing. 

The information about the Ukrainians killed by the Russian army became known thanks to the military’s video from copters, but the details will be available only after the liberation of the territory, said Syniehubov. 

Governor also said that about 50 people still live in the temporarily occupied territory in Vovchansk, and Ukraine’s police can’t reach them yet. Currently, the Ukrainian military controls about 70% of the city.

Police and the Prosecutor’s Office reported the first documented cases of Russian troops executing civilians in Vovchansk within a week after Russia launched a new ground offensive north of Kharkiv. 

Ukrainian authorities and law enforcement agencies also spoke about cases of Russians taking civilians prisoner and not allowing them to evacuate from the city. 

According to Oleh Syniehubov, police, volunteers, and rescuers evacuated about 11,859 people from the border communities of the Kharkiv Oblast, threatened by Russia’s new offensive.

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  • The Kupiansk direction is more important to the Russian army now than the north, said Oleh Syniehubov, Kharkiv Oblast Governor, in an interview with Ukrinform on June 18.