Residents of the city of Sumy who cannot be mobilized into the Defense Forces or help the military must leave the city, said Verkhovna Rada deputy Maryana Bezuglaya, TASS reported, quoted by BTA.
"Once again, I appeal to the civilian population to pay attention to their safety, residents of the city of Sumy: let's stick to the classic principle - either you are in the Defense Forces, or you help the Defense Forces, or you evacuate," she wrote on her "Telegram" channel. Earlier, Bezuglaya appealed to residents of the border region to leave "potential frontline areas".
The call for evacuation from Sumy was repeated by military expert, former spokesman for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Vladislav Seleznyov, whose words were quoted by the local publication TSN. He advised to "prepare for defense" of the city, "taking into account the dynamics in the combat zone".
The authorities of the Sumy region have currently announced mandatory evacuation of only some of the districts. In total, just over 200 settlements in the region fall under mandatory evacuation.