Evacuation Alert: Ukraine Orders Further Village Relocations in Sumy Amid Rising Security Threats

On Saturday, Ukraine initiated the evacuation of 11 more villages in the Sumy region, which borders Russia, due to concerns that Moscow might be preparing for a renewed ground offensive.

According to Kyiv, Russia has recently captured several villages in the northeastern area and has amassed over 50,000 troops along its border.

These evacuations took place just two days prior to a potential meeting in Istanbul between both nations, as Washington urged them to conclude the ongoing three-year conflict.

Russia has stated it will send representatives to Turkey, but Ukraine has yet to agree to the talks, cautioning that negotiations would be unproductive without the Kremlin first outlining its peace proposals.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of undermining the potential meeting by failing to disclose its peace conditions.

The evacuation decision, affecting areas within roughly 30 kilometers of the Russian border, was prompted by the ongoing risk to civilian safety due to shelling in border communities, according to regional officials on social media.

Andriy Demchenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s border guard agency, indicated on Thursday that Russia appeared ready to «launch an offensive» on Sumy.

In total, evacuation orders have been issued for 213 settlements within the region.

Russia’s defense ministry announced on Saturday that its troops had seized another village in Sumy, named Vodolagy.

Since the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, tens of thousands of lives have been lost and numerous towns and villages across the eastern and southern regions have been devastated.

Currently, Moscow’s forces control about 20% of Ukraine and claim to have incorporated five regions, including Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.

U.S. President Donald Trump has led diplomatic initiatives aimed at resolving the conflict. However, both Kyiv and Moscow have accused one another of obstructing peace efforts.

The Kremlin has suggested further negotiations in Istanbul for Monday, following a May 16 session that produced minimal results apart from a significant prisoner exchange.

Kyiv has not confirmed its participation in the upcoming meeting and has expressed skepticism about yielding any outcomes unless Moscow shares its peace terms beforehand.

Russia has stated it will present its peace memorandum in person on Monday, but Ukraine fears it will include demands that Kyiv has already dismissed, such as ceding territory still under Ukrainian control and renouncing its NATO aspirations.

In a statement to the United Nations on Friday, Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s UN ambassador, suggested the memorandum might also request that Western nations cease their arms supplies to Ukraine and that Kyiv halt its military mobilization.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has cultivated good relations with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, has emerged as a crucial mediator in attempts to resolve the conflict.

During a conversation with Zelensky late on Friday, Erdogan urged both parties to send «strong delegations» to maintain momentum towards peace, as reported by the Turkish state news agency Anadolu.

Turkey has proposed to host a summit that would include Putin, Zelensky, and Trump, but the Kremlin has declined the invitation.

Putin has consistently rejected proposals for a 30-day, unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine.