As Russia intensifies its attacks, Ukraine has mandated the evacuation of all inhabitants from 37 communities in the region’s northeast.
The Kupiansk district of the Kharkiv region’s administration claimed they were forced to take action due to “constant Russian shelling” in the region.
According to Ukraine, bombardment in the area on Thursday resulted in the death of a woman.
According to Russia, its troops have made some progress in the region. According to Ukraine, Russian strikes have been repelled.
The two opposing sides’ statements have not been independently verified.
The Kupiansk district administration issued a statement announcing the evacuation of 35 villages and two towns.
The authorities warned, “Don’t disregard your safety and the safety of your loved ones!”
People were being evacuated to “safe regions” of Ukraine, they claimed.
A local of one of the evacuated settlements, Kivsharivka, claimed she was getting ready to leave with her kids but her husband preferred to stay to look after his old mother.
“It’s hard to leave them behind,” 36-year-old Anna Koresh told the AFP news agency. However, she continued, “it’s important to take the kids to a safe place because it’s getting dangerous.”
The Russian defence ministry stated in its most recent briefing that its assault forces moving in the direction of Kupiansk had “improved their position along the front line during offensive operations.”
The military of Ukraine claimed that its troops “successfully repelled” Russian assaults.
However, a Russian shell that struck a house in the village of Podoly, Kupiansk region, on Thursday night resulted in the deaths of a woman and an injury to a man, according to Ukrainian officials.
For residents of Kupiansk, this is not the first order to evacuate.
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Kupiansk, a crucial regional hub for transportation and supplies, has seen heavy warfare.
In a matter of days, Russian forces took over the city, but a quick counterattack by Ukrainian forces in September restored Ukrainian authority.
These developments, along with the liberation of Kherson in southern Ukraine, represented the biggest shifts on the front lines since Russia withdrew from regions near Kyiv’s capital in April.
Local authorities in Zaporizhzhia city, in southern Ukraine, said that one person was killed in a Russia