KHARKIV OBLAST, UKRAINE, Apr 22 — About 15 settlements of the Kharkiv region came under Russian artillery and mortar attacks: Veterynarne, Hatyshche, Pletenivka, and others. The Russian army also hit Kharkiv with airstrikes, reported the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Syniehubov.

According to him, the Russian military struck Kharkiv at around 9 p.m., injuring a 19-year-old boy.

In the region, at about 3:31 p.m. on April 21, Russia shelled Vovchansk with multiple rocket launchers, damaging a house.

Russians intensified attacks on Kharkiv and Kharkiv Oblast that borders Belgorod Oblast in the Russian Federation since mid-March, exploiting the lack of air defense systems and missiles for them in Ukraine.

Oleh Syniehubov reported that the Regional Defense Council has decided to forcibly evacuate families with children in 47 frontline settlements of the Kharkiv Oblast. He noted that routes for evacuation of children and safe places for evacuated people to live have already been selected.

However, as Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said on the air of a national telethon, no evacuation of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, will be announced. Although Russians attack Kharkiv regularly, Terekhov says that the situation in the city remains stable, and there’s no reason to announce evacuation. 

He says Russians are actively spreading fake news about an evacuation from Kharkiv to cause panic among locals. The mayor noted that the media must now focus on debunking such fake news. 

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  • The evacuation of the Lyptsi community has been completed. As of today, 27 children and their families have left the community, announced the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Syniehubov.