The Sumy Regional Military Administration announced the start of the forced evacuation of residents of eight settlements in the Sumy district located near the border with Russia. The decision was made due to a sharp deterioration in the operational situation in the region, as reported by the administration's press service in a statement published on social networks. The measure will affect the territories of the Yunakivska and Miropolska communities, where 543 people live, including children. The authorities emphasize that the evacuation is being carried out to ensure the safety of citizens amid active military operations in the border zone. 

The Sumy region, which borders the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions of Russia, has found itself at the epicenter of tensions after the recent Russian military offensive. The regional center of Sumy is located just 30 kilometers from the state border, and a strategically important highway runs through the city, connecting it with the Russian city of Sudzha. It is this area that has become an area of ​​increased attention after reports of the Russian Armed Forces advancing beyond the Kursk region. 

This week, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov reported to President Vladimir Putin on the progress of the operation in the Kursk region. According to him, Russian troops crossed the state border and entered the territory of the Sumy region in certain directions, continuing to destroy Ukrainian reserves and expand security zones. The statement was made during Putin's visit to the command post of the Kursk group on March 11. Gerasimov noted that since the end of last week, the Russian army has liberated more than a thousand square kilometers in the Kursk region, including the key regional center of Sudzha, as well as the settlements of Staraya Sorochina, Malaya Loknya, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye, Martynovka and Mikhaylovka. 

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, by March 13, two more villages in the Kursk region had returned under the control of Russian forces, and offensive actions continue to develop. In the Sumy region, fighting was recorded near the village of Basovka, as well as the advance of Russian troops 500-700 meters into the region between the villages of Zhuravka and Novenkoye, as reported by the publication "Suspilne" with reference to the Ukrainian military.