On Tuesday, Ukrainian authorities ordered the evacuation of families from dozens of villages near the city of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, which is under heavy pressure from Russian forces. The reason is the “deteriorating security situation” in the region.
The Russian army is attempting to regain control of Kupiansk, which it considers a strategic point for further advances to the west. The city was occupied in the first weeks of the Russian invasion in February 2022, but was later recaptured by Ukrainian troops. Now it is once again under heavy pressure.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the Ukrainian army is defending key positions on the front line. Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, claims that Moscow has a strategic advantage on the front line.
The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Oleksandr Syrsky, said the front line stretches for more than 1,200 kilometers.
(reuters, max)