At least three people, including a 6-year-old boy, were killed Tuesday afternoon during a Russian strike with a ballistic missile on civil infrastructure in the suburbs of Soumy (northeast of Ukraine), according to local authorities.
“The Russians took the life of a 6 -year -old boy, a 20 -year -old woman and a 41 -year -old man. I present my sincere condolences to the families of the victims. Four children and four injured adults are currently in medical establishments. Two of them are in an extremely serious condition,” said the head of the regional military administration of Soumy Oleh Hryhorov, on Tuesday evening.
On May 7 and 8, the Soumy region has decreed days of mourning.
Drones on Kharkiv
The city of Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine, was attacked by Russian drones for about two hours on Tuesday. Witnesses reported about twenty explosions in the city.
According to the mayor of the city, Ihor Terekhovfires broke out in four districts, one of the most important being that of Barabachovo Marché. According to the authorities, 90 shops were destroyed there. Note that this is the fourth attack on this market since the start of the Russian invasion.
In the western part of the city, a several floors residential building has been damaged.
Natalia Mishokova, one of the residents, testifies: “Towards 4 h 20 In the morning, the first explosion occurred, then other bombings. After the tenth, we stopped counting “.
“My front door was torn off, as well as the balcony and the window. My car is also damaged”this resident is sorry.
Four drones also struck a hotel complex in the north of the city. The head of the regional military administration, By Syniehubovsaid four people had suffered from acute stress following these attacks.
Attacks in Soumy
At the same time, the inhabitants of Bilopillia, in the neighboring region of Soumy, began to evacuate the premises, because of the intensification of Russian attacks.
Local authorities, including le maire yurii zarkosaid that the situation in terms of security in the city had worsened in recent days, arousing new calls for evacuation.
-“Even those who did not want to leave before, or who left and then returned – those who still have a place to return – see that the situation gets worse, so they evacuate again”said Mr. Zarko.
“Most people who have their own means of transport have already left themselves. As the situation continues to worsen, people make the decision to go to stay safe.”
Many residents, including the elderly and people with reduced mobility, have left the premises with the help of emergency services and the Ukrainian Red Cross teams.
Volodymyr Moskalenko, commander of the rapid intervention unit of the Ukrainian Red Cross, said that two ambulances were used to move people with reduced mobility.
“We will load them and they will go directly to Soumy. The most all-terrain vehicle will go where the roads are really bad, where access is difficult-we will get people there too,” he said.
Compulsory evacuation of children
On May 2, the authorities announced the compulsory evacuation of families in which there are minors, in Shakhove and Totretske, due to the Russian bombings in progress.
More than 30 children have been evacuated from the village of Shakhove, in the Donetsk region, in the last three days, according to the head of the local military administration, Serhiy Sazhko.
“We have already proceeded to the compulsory evacuation of two administrative districts, but at the time, the security conditions were much better. Today, people see the situation with their own eyes”explains Mr. Sazhko.
“There were 54 children in Shakhove, there are only 23 left. I think that in two or three days, we will have evacuated all the children here. There are 22 children in Totretske, who is a little further. We must first evacuate all the children of Shakhove, then we will go to the evacuation of TORETSKE“.
Families are transported to a safe place in Voloshyne, in the JyTomyr region, where they will be welcomed by volunteers.
Liberation of prisoners
In this tense climate, Ukraine and Russia have an exchange of 205 soldiers, prisoners of war. On each side, the same number of fighters was able to regain freedom. An exchange that comes two days before the 72-hour ceasefire, initiated by Russia.
