Catastrophic situation in Izyum, residents want to leave en masse, says city council deputy
Read also: Ukrainian army blows up warehouses with Russian artillery ammunition near Izyum
“According to our data, about 10,000 citizens are awaiting evacuation, because the winter season is already approaching, and the situation with heat supplies is catastrophic,” Strelnyk said.
He said it was very difficult to leave Izyum for Ukrainian controlled territory, but it is still possible thanks to the joint efforts of volunteers, the Ukrainian government, and representatives of international organizations. However, so far only a few have succeeded.
Read also: Ukraine’s army looks to launch counteroffensive near Izyum to discourage attack on Slovyansk — ISW
Strelnyk said the situation in Izyum was difficult. Russian invasion forces are carrying out provocations and firing at residential buildings, trying to blame the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the attacks, he said.
Read also: At least 1,000 Kharkiv Oblast civilians killed in the war
The deputy said that Ukrainian troops are now counterattacking the invading forces and liberating some settlements in Izyum District, while the Russian troops "out of desperation are trying to unleash all their aggression on the local population."
Izyum has been under occupation since April 2. Earlier, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said that during the period of the full-scale invasion, Russian invading forces had inflicted their largest rocket attacks specifically on the city of Izyum.
As of 2018, about 50,000 people lived in Izyum, Kharkiv Oblast.
Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
