Somber police officers donned their bulletproof vests on Wednesday, June 18, as one started the armored minivan in the small courtyard of an apartment building in Sumy, the capital of the Ukrainian region of the same name, which borders Russia. That day's mission was to evacuate a family with two children from the small village of Bilopillia, located about 10 kilometers from the Russian border. In recent weeks, the area had become increasingly dangerous as Russian artillery and FPV (first-person view, or remotely piloted) drones began to strike it. Bilopillia was just one of dozens of villages where residents were advised to evacuate after the Russian army launched an offensive to the North of the Sumy region.

"The Russians are flying their FPV drones over the town," said Viktoriia Kiritchenko, 46, who came from her village of Vorozhba with her son, Dmytro, after their house was partially damaged by the explosion of a powerful guided aerial bomb. "Some people continue living in these villages, even after their homes have been hit," said Alyona Stavitsakaya, a member of the White Angels, a police force in charge of evacuations. "Over time, the sense of danger fades and people get used to it."

Under threat, Sumy is holding its breath as Russian forces are now only about 20 kilometers from the city center, following the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Russian region of Kursk. In recent weeks, according to DeepState, a military analysis website close to the Ukrainian army in Kyiv, Kremlin forces have managed to take control of 200 square kilometers on the Ukrainian side of the border. The front line is drawing closer, and now the echoes of artillery can be heard even in the center of Sumy. Provocative − and evidently confident in his army's abilities − the Russian president also declared on June 20 that he "had not ruled out" capturing the city of Sumy.

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