**No Evacuation Orders for Sumy City, Says Governor**
As Russian forces continue to push deeper into Sumy Oblast, the regional governor, Oleh Hryhorov, has reassured residents that there are no plans for mass civilian evacuations from the city of Sumy. This decision comes as Ukrainian forces withdrew from most of their foothold in Russia’s Kursk Oblast in March.
The situation along the border with Russia is tense, but Governor Hryhorov says it remains under control of Ukraine’s Defense Forces. Despite this, Russian advances into Sumy have gained momentum since the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Kursk. Sumy Oblast has been a repeated target of Russian incursions and shelling since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
**Recent Attacks on Sumy**
Sumy has faced severe consequences due to Russian strikes on the city. Just last week, on June 3, Russian attacks killed four people and injured 28 others, including three children. This is not an isolated incident; the village of Loknia in Sumy Oblast was recently occupied by Russian forces, according to open-source battlefield monitoring group DeepState.
**Evacuations in Other Areas**
While there are no plans for evacuation from Sumy city, Governor Hryhorov had announced mandatory evacuation orders for 11 more villages on May 31 due to intensifying attacks. This brings the total number of evacuated settlements in Sumy Oblast to 213.
**Russia’s Military Build-up**
President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to create a “security buffer zone” along the border with Ukraine, while President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Moscow had massed 50,000 troops near Sumy in May. The situation remains fluid and uncertain, with both sides continuing their military buildup and operations.
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