MOSCOW, May 22. /TASS/. More than 10,800 people have been evacuated from the border areas of Ukraine’s eastern Kharkov Region since May 10, regional military administration head Oleg Sinegubov said.
"A total of 10,875 people have been evacuated," he wrote on Telegram.
Sinegubov specified that civilians were being evacuated from the Bogodukhovsky, Kharkovsky and Chuguyevsky districts.
The official said on the morning of May 21 that the number of those evacuated had reached 10,776.
Ukrainian officials admit that the situation is difficult in the Kharkov area. The Ukrainian General Staff said on May 14 that the country’s armed forces had "to move to more advantageous positions" near the town of Volchansk and the village of Lukyantsy. The military authorities also announced the deployment of additional reserves to the area. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky held a meeting with senior commanders in Kharkov on May 16, describing the situation as extremely difficult.
The Russian Defense Ministry earlier announced that a number of settlements had been liberated as troops continued to advance deeper into enemy defenses.