Dnipropetrovsk Oblast's eastern villages evacuating families as Russian troops close in

Dnipropetrovsk Oblast authorities on April 28 announced mandatory evacuations of families with children from four eastern villages, as Russian forces advance toward the region's administrative border.

The evacuation order, issued by Governor Serhii Lysak on April 25, concerns the villages of Kolona Mezhova, Novopidhorodne, Raipole, and Sukhareva Balka in the Mezhova community.

Anxiety in the area mounts as Russian forces reportedly stand only some 5-15 kilometers (3-9 miles) from the settlements, which lie near the administrative border between Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk oblasts.

Residents will be evacuated by vehicles and were asked to pack documents, money, medicine, water, and food for a few days, along with other necessities.

While Donetsk Oblast has been the epicenter of Russia's aggression against Ukraine since 2014 — with significant escalation after the full-scale invasion in 2022 – Russian forces have not yet entered Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Moscow nevertheless regularly targets Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with drones, missiles, and aerial bombs, inflicting heavy civilian casualties.

Russia's advance in Ukraine has not relented despite the U.S.'s efforts to broker a peace deal and Kyiv's calls for an unconditional ceasefire.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a three-day truce on May 8-10 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, a proposal met by skepticism from Ukraine.

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The Kyiv IndependentNatalia Yermak