About 30% of Kharkiv Oblast is now under Russian occupation — Governor

About 30% of Kharkiv Oblast is now under Russian occupation, said Governor of Kharkiv Oblast Oleh Syniehubov in an interview with Ukrainian media outlet Ukrinform.

"30% of our region is under occupation. From the first days of the full-scale war, the Kupianskyi and Vovchanskyi districts of Kharkiv Oblast were occupied by Russian forces. Approximately 20,000 people remain in the Izium district of Kharkiv Oblast without electricity, water, heating, or phone connection," Syniehubov said.

The Governor also says that Russian forces are trying to control the education system and medical and rescue services on occupied territories.

"We clearly understand that the units of the State Emergency Service, which remained there, refused to work under enemy flags. They said: either we work in our uniform, under the flag of Ukraine, or we don't work at all. The same is with emergency medical care. Those who remained work under Ukrainian flags," the Governor said.

Syniehubov also said that facts of torture of people by the Russian forces were recorded in the region, in particular during the liberation of occupied territories.

"The bodies of people with control shots in the head and with hands tied behind their backs were found. We will be able to understand the number when we will liberate our territories finally," Syniehubov said.

According to the Governor, on the territory of one of the industrial enterprises in Kupiansk, the Russian forces created a "prison, in fact, a concentration camp", where they placed detained people and carried out "certain measures to achieve their result."

Situation in part of Kharkiv Oblast controlled by Ukraine

As a result of Russian shelling, about 4,800 infrastructure objects were destroyed or damaged in Kharkiv Oblast, including educational and cultural institutions, hospitals, sports facilities, as well as about 4,200 residential buildings.

Syniehubov emphasized that air defense in Kharkiv is working. According to him, only on July 11 the occupiers targeted about 15 rockets on the city, of which only a few reached the city.

"Of course, we can't tell people everything because there is a concept of military secret. However, be sure that our Armed Forces of Ukraine are working at the limit of possibilities to defend not only the city of Kharkiv but also the entire region," added the Governor.