Syniehubov: No grounds for forced evacuation from Izium

Absence of critical threats

Oleh Syniehubov, Head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, emphasised that there are currently no grounds for declaring a mandatory evacuation of Izium residents.

According to him, a decision on the forced removal of people is made only in the presence of three key factors:

• advancement of the front;
• threat of the city being captured;
• danger of roads being blocked, which could be used to leave.

Today, none of these scenarios is materialising for Izium, despite the fact that Russian troops continue to deliver regular strikes on the city.

Recovery priorities

Meanwhile, a large number of damaged high-rise buildings remain in the city. Syniehubov stressed that one of the main tasks at this stage is the restoration of common areas in residential buildings.

This is necessary so that residents can receive compensation under the eVidnovlennia programme.

Shortage of building materials

To accelerate repair work, the region requires additional stockpiles of materials, specifically OSB boards. The Head of the OVA highlighted the scale of the need:

«На місяць ми витрачаємо близько 10 тисяч листів. Це враховуючи всі руйнування в області, і по місту Харкову, й ізюмський напрямок, і Лозова, і всі інші. Маємо оперативно зашивати контури, ліквідовувати наслідки», — зазначив він. (We use about 10,000 sheets per month. This takes into account all the destruction in the region, both in the city of Kharkiv, the Izium direction, Lozova, and all others. We need to quickly seal the contours and eliminate the consequences), he noted.

In view of this, local plans include appealing to the authorities of other regions with a request to provide assistance in supplying the necessary materials.