Mandatory evacuations have been announced in the Ukrainian city of Kupjansk, as well as three neighboring settlements, due to the advance of Russian forces. The Kyiv Independent writes that the governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Syniehubov, announced the evacuation orders.
Cars with loudspeakers were filmed in the city announcing the city has no food, water, electricity or gas, and all residents must evacuate.
Kupjansk is a key strategic city in the Kharkiv region, which has been the subject of heavy attacks in recent months.
“Due to the security situation, a decision was made to step up measures to evacuate civilians in the Kupjansk district, including the city of Kupjansk,” Szinyehubov said in a televised statement.
He added: looking at the entire region, the situation in the Kupyansk sector is the most difficult right now. He pointed out that it is on the eastern bank of the Oszkil River, which bisects the city
“Due to the continuous shelling, we can no longer guarantee the restoration of electricity, heat and water supply,,” he said.
According to report from Russian state media, Tass, Russian troops maintain fire control over the road towards the suburbs of Kupjansk in the Kharkov Region in the Svatov-Kupjansk area, which allows control over movement of the Ukrainian forces and prevents them from performing a rotation, according to Vitaly Ganchev, the head of the Kharkov military-civilian administration
“The combat situation in the Kharkov area is still active, I could say. Our fighters are still pushing the enemy in the Svatov-Kupjansk area. Having broken the enemy’s line of defense, we managed to set a fire control over a highway connecting several settlements. We have control over the Kruglyanovka area, which is almost the Kupjansk suburbs, just to the south along the Oskol River,” he told the agency.
Ukraine has seen pressure along a broad swathe of the front line, as well as in Kursk on Russian territory, where Ukrainian forces are being pushed back.
