Local authorities in Ukraine have issued evacuation orders for residents from multiple villages near the heavily damaged city of Kupiansk in the northeast. The decision was made due to the deteriorating security situation in the area, which has been subjected to intense Russian attacks.
Governor Oleh Syniehubov of the northeastern Kharkiv region announced on Telegram that 409 families, including 601 children, were instructed to vacate 27 localities. Subsequently, another official mentioned that the evacuation list had been expanded to encompass 40 localities.
The city of Kupiansk has been a focal point for Russian forces in their westward advancement through central and Eastern Ukraine during the ongoing conflict that has persisted for over three and a half years. While initially captured by Russian forces at the start of the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the city was later reclaimed by Ukrainian forces.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy affirmed that Ukrainian forces are actively defending critical front-line areas, including Kupiansk, against Russian incursions. Additionally, he highlighted a Ukrainian counter-offensive near Dobropillia to the south in recent days.
Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted that Moscow’s forces maintain a strategic advantage along the front lines, as Ukraine’s top officer, Oleksandr Syrskyi, estimated the length of the front line to be over 1,200 kilometers.