There are no plans to evacuate Kharkiv for now — mayor

There are currently no plans to evacuate the population or specific groups of residents from Kharkiv; on the contrary, people are arriving in the city from settlements in the region where active hostilities are taking place.

This announcement was made by Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov on May 15.

«The air raid alert has been ongoing for more than 8 hours, but we have managed to get through the night calmly. Throughout the day, there have been hits in residential buildings. The enemy is resorting to intimidation techniques to force people to leave the city.

However, we are not discussing the evacuation of Kharkiv. Instead, today we are welcoming people to Kharkiv – individuals are arriving from areas where active hostilities are occurring», — Terekhov stated during the telethon.

According to him, more than six thousand people have already arrived in the city and have been accommodated in dormitories.

«Every effort is being made to ensure they feel somewhat protected», — he added.

In response, Nazar Voloshyn, spokesman for the Khortytsia unit, affirmed that Kharkiv is currently well defended.

«Kharkiv is indeed well defended, but the enemy is doing everything to instill fear and panic among the civilian population», — Voloshyn said during the telethon.

As reported, on the afternoon of May 14, the Russian occupiers struck several times in Kharkiv, targeting residential buildings in the city center. As of 18:50, 17 people were reported injured, including two children. One of the victims is in serious condition.