On May 29, more than 10 people were evacuated from Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region. However, due to active hostilities and the dangerous situation, the police do not have access to the city and are working on the outskirts.
The head of the Investigative Department of the Kharkiv Regional Police, Serhiy Bolvinov, stated this on Radio Liberty.
Entering and staying in Vovchansk is currently perilous.
«The city of Vovchansk is essentially a war zone. It’s unsafe for police officers to be in the city. The military is actively engaged in repelling enemy attacks and conducting combat operations. As of now, police officers rarely enter Vovchansk. People are still evacuating, but due to the danger, police near Vovchansk are assisting in picking up individuals who are evacuating either independently or with the help of the military. Over the past 24 hours, more than 10 people have evacuated from Vovchansk, and this is a daily occurrence. Some people are leaving independently, while others are being escorted out by the military in protected armored vehicles», — the police officer stated.
As a reminder, the US Institute for the Study of War believes that the capture of Vovchansk is likely to be one of the tactical goals of the first phase of Russia’s offensive in the north of the Kharkiv region.
On May 10, the Russian army initiated an offensive in the north of the Kharkiv region. The first grouping of the Russian army moved towards the border town of Vovchansk, and the second towards the village of Liptsi, north of Kharkiv.