Thousands displaced as clashes intensify in Ukraine’s Kharkiv

Over the past two weeks, more than 14,000 people have been displaced from Ukraine’s Kharkiv region due to intensified clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces, according to Jarno Habicht, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) representative in Ukraine.

During a press briefing on Tuesday in Geneva, live-streamed from Kyiv, Habicht stated that these figures were provided by local Ukrainian authorities. He highlighted that nearly 189,000 people are still living within 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) of the Russian border, facing significant risks from the ongoing conflict.

Habicht emphasized the growing humanitarian needs in the region, saying, “The worsening security situation is rapidly increasing the demand for humanitarian aid.”

In a separate statement on Telegram, a messaging service, Oleh Sinehubov, head of the Kharkiv region military administration, reported that authorities continue to evacuate civilians, with over 10,700 people relocated from frontline areas in the past 11 days.

On May 10, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry announced the deployment of reserve units to the Volchansk direction in the Kharkiv region, and local authorities urged residents to evacuate.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Friday that military operations in the Kharkiv region aim to establish a “sanitary zone,” a buffer area to prevent Ukrainian strikes from reaching Russian territory.

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the combat situation in the Kharkiv region as “extremely difficult” and convened a meeting with his military chiefs to discuss potential actions.