near Kharkiv, evacuations of civilians continue to escape strikes

For three days, a deluge of fire has fallen on the Ukrainian town of Vovchansk, less than ten kilometers from the Russian border. Sunday May 12, the building was hit by a missile. The streets are littered with broken glass, several people are waiting for help. Twenty kilometers away, this is the place where evacuations are coordinated, as best they can. Rescuers, firefighters, doctors and psychologists take care of deeply shocked civilians.

“A rain of bombs”

“There is a rain of bombs and other devices launched by planes. They throw three or four every time, we got nowhere to go“, said an evacuated resident. The civilians are still within gunshot range. No time to lose, so they board a bus to be evacuated to Kharkiv.”The Russians use glide bombs, artillery, mortars, they strike massively with everything they can“, explained a Ukrainian rescuer. Since the start of the offensive towards Kharkiv, the Russians have taken six villages and street fighting has started in Vovchansk.