UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, July 26 — In Vovchansk, a family was hiding a child to avoid evacuation, reported the head of the Vovchansk police department, Maksym Stetsyna, in a comment to Gwara Media.

Towns and villages of the Kharkiv Oblast come under massive Russian artillery shelling and air strikes often, even more so since Russia launched a new ground offensive north and northeast of the region in the Vovchansk and Lyptsi directions in May.

“Citizens informed us that some people may be hiding children in Vovchansk. We have established the location of these children and took them out of the city. We once again urge civilians to evacuate,” Stetsyna emphasized.

According to Maksym Stetsyna, some families accepted the Military Administration’s request and left on their own, while others refused to evacuate, even if staying in the settlement was very dangerous. 

Maksym Stetsyna said that about 20 people do not want to leave continue to live in Vovchansk, Kharkiv region.

Oleh Syniehubov, Kharkiv Oblast Governor, said in an interview with Ukrinform that the Russians killed dozens of civilians in Vovchansk. This information became known thanks to the military’s video from copters. Still, the exact number of killed and injured will be available only after the liberation of the territory.

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

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