![War in Ukraine: thousands of residents forced to flee advancing Russians War in Ukraine: thousands of residents forced to flee advancing Russians](https://media.lesechos.com/api/v1/images/view/664396880855c13e4142a45a/1280x720/01101063198430-web-tete.jpg)
“I didn’t want to leave, I’ve lived in this city all my life,” breathes Vira, 73, her eyes red with fatigue and sadness. “Well, I don’t know if there’s still a town there anymore. » Both residents of Vovchansk, a Ukrainian town of around 20,000 inhabitants located just three kilometers from the border with Russia, Vira and her husband Ivan were evacuated the same morning by the police to a reception center in Kharkiv, the regional capital.
Like 7,500 other residents of northern Kharkiv oblast, this retired couple was forced to flee the bombings and the advance of Russian forces, while heavy fighting has still raged in the region since the start of the offensive. Russian launched last Friday. Long feared by the Ukrainian authorities, this allowed the Russian army to seize around ten villages located along the border and led to the evacuation of thousands of civilians.
New Bakhmut
Due to its proximity to Russia, Vovchansk, occupied by Russian forces until its liberation in September 2022, has particularly suffered from recent fighting: in a recent interview, regional police chief Volodymyr Tymoshenko indicated that the city was constantly bombarded by Russian aircraft and artillery, and that it was transformed into “Bakhmut or Marïnka”, two localities in the Donetsk oblast almost completely destroyed before their capture by Russia.
“The enemy continues to try to advance in the Vovchansk sector, active firefights are taking place on the northern outskirts of the city,” Oleh Synebouhov, the governor of Kharkiv oblast, said on Tuesday, adding that to date, 7,531 people had been evacuated from the areas most at risk. Among them, there are 568 children.
The first stop for the evacuees is the village of Buhaivka, located about twenty kilometers south of Vovchansk, which is buzzing with feverish activity this Tuesday morning: for several days, Ukrainian police cars have been making incessant trips -returns between the village center and localities located near the front line.
Psychological support
Equipped with helmets and bulletproof vests, the police coordinate by radio to pick up the civilians still present in Vovtchansk and the surrounding villages then bring them back to Bouhaivka, where they are then taken care of by volunteers and a police cell. Psychological assistance from the Ukrainian Emergency Services (DSNS). “Our role is to provide psychological support to these people, many of whom found themselves under Russian bombings,” explains Vadym, psychologist within this crisis unit. “It’s important to be proactive and offer help as soon as possible. »
The evacuees are then taken by bus to an improvised humanitarian aid center in Kharkiv, the regional capital, where the oblast administration coordinates the work of multiple Ukrainian and international humanitarian organizations. “People who arrive at the center first receive food, clothing, hygiene products,” explains Oksana Kalashnikova, from the civil protection department of the Kharkiv regional military administration. “People who need it can also benefit from financial assistance, as well as temporary accommodation. We strive to meet all their needs. » But in Kharkiv, the calm is only relative: on the same day, the city was bombed several times by Russian aircraft and missiles.