Ukraine orders some people to leave Kupiansk

• Ukraine has ordered some people to leave Kupiansk.
• Due to Russian shelling, which has forced families.
• With children and people with limited mobility to leave.

In order to prevent Russia from retaking the city it abandoned last year, Ukraine has ordered some people to leave Kupiansk.

According to Kharkiv’s regional officials, Russian forces’ “continuous” shelling has forced families with children and people “with limited mobility” to leave.

The city in the north-east was taken by Russia at the beginning of the large-scale invasion; Ukraine reclaimed it in September.

Russian hired guns claim to have “practically encircled” Bakhmut, a vital city in eastern Ukraine.

Yevgeniy Prigozhin, leader of the paramilitary Wagner organisation, made the remarks.

The latest news release from the Ukrainian military stated that although Russian troops maintained their onslaught on Bakhmut, they were “repelled” in their efforts.

The situation in Bakhmut, which is around 130 kilometers (80 miles) southeast of Kupiansk, is becoming “more and more tough,” according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who acknowledged this earlier this week.

The evacuation order was issued for Kupiansk on Thursday, according to the Kharkiv regional military administration, because of the “unstable security situation” brought on by Russian bombardment.

It stated that people who were evacuated would receive help, including lodging, food, humanitarian supplies, and medical care.

It said that other citizens were also allowed to depart the area. The pre-war population of the city was close to 25,000.

According to the military, there are presently 724 persons with disabilities and 812 children registered in Kupiansk and the neighborhood.

The Institute for the Study of War said this week that Russian forces were continuing “limited ground attacks” north-east of Kupiansk, as well as offensive operations around Kreminna, about 80km south-east.

Kupiansk – home to an important railway junction – has witnessed fierce fighting since the war began, with Russia taking control in a matter of days, and occupying the city for several months.

However, in September Ukrainian forces took back control amid a rapid counter-attack in the country’s north-east that saw almost entire of the Kharkiv region brought under Kyiv’s control.

Those advances – and the liberation of the southern city of Kherson – were the most significant front-line changes since Russia withdrew from areas around Kyiv in April.

Last month, Ukraine warned that Russia was preparing a major new offensive, with officials saying Moscow has amassed thousands of troops on Ukraine’s eastern flank.

And Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov warned a month ago that Russia could “try something” to mark the anniversary of the full-scale invasion on 24 February.

But despite what appears to be an increase in activity around Kupiansk and Bakhmut, significant victories have not been achieved on the battlefield.

The leader of the paramilitary group Wagner, Mr. Prigozhin, claimed in a video uploaded on Telegram on Friday that “pincers are closing in” on Bakhmut.

Additionally, he said in a letter to President Zelenskyy that Wagner soldiers had “practically ringed” the city and that there was now just one path left.

He urged the Ukrainian leader to leave the city.

Vladimir Putin will preside over a meeting with the nation’s senior security officers on Friday in a separate development.

It occurs one day after the Russian president charged a Ukrainian sabotage organisation of invading a Russian border territory and firing on residents.

According to the governor of the Bryansk area, “saboteurs from Ukraine” opened fire on a car carrying civilians in the border village of Lyubechane, killing two men and injuring a 10-year-old boy.

Kiev vehemently refuted the Russian assertion and labelled it a provocation by Moscow.

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