Ukraine’s border villages feel full force of Russian war machine as Putin moots possible ‘sanitary zone’

The Sumy region has seen a significant increase in Russian attacks, while on the other side of the border, Ukraine’s military has stepped up its assault on Russia.

“Evacuation! Of civilians from the village of Luhivka.” Out of breath, police officer Dmytro Piddubnyi is recording the scene on his phone and providing a commentary. But he’s working, too, and the old lady in front is not moving fast enough. “Grandma, come on! Come on, come on, come on, dear, come on!” There are two booms in the distance, most likely an artillery piece firing. Luhivka, in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, lies just a few miles from the border with Russia. In common with dozens of small towns and villages along the frontier, it has seen a significant increase in attacks in the last couple of weeks, bringing the anguish of war and its impossible choices right back to the people living there. The old woman, a walking stick in her right hand, picks up her pace for a few steps, then slows again. She mutters something inaudible, a plea perhaps to the young policeman to show some understanding of her age. She’s doing her best. Piddubnyi swings his phone around to show the damage to the bridge they’re crossing. It was hit by a Russian missile, but a narrow strip of concrete remains intact, which allows them to cross the river, and make their way to the vehicles that will drive them to a safer place. In the opposite direction, on the other side of the border, Ukraine’s military has stepped up its attempts to “bring the war” to Russia, coordinating with Russian volunteers fighting for Ukraine as they carry out commando-style raids on villages in the Belgorod and Kursk regions, as well as increasing its own artillery and drone strikes.