In the Ukrainian city of Kupiansk, Yuliia Baibak decided to evacuate her parents following another Russian airstrike on their neighborhood, in accordance with orders. Authorities have also issued a mass evacuation appeal for the city of Pokrovsk, located further north, which is a strategic target for Russian forces moving westward through the Donetsk region.
Baibak and her parents are among the thousands scheduled for evacuation from Kupiansk and the surrounding areas as Russian troops advance on the strategic hub in the Kharkiv region. On Thursday, while assisting her mother into a car, Baibak expressed her desperation, recounting how she urged her family to evacuate for their safety.
After Kyiv’s troops reclaimed Kupiansk six months post its capture during Russia’s February 2022 invasion, the area has faced escalating attacks as Moscow intensifies its offensive along the eastern front. In the Donetsk region further south, Russian troops continue to advance, threatening crucial transit hubs essential for supplying Ukraine’s eastern forces.
Serhiy Dobrak, the head of Pokrovsk’s military administration, has urged residents to evacuate due to the inability to provide essential services, according to a report by RBK Ukraine. Dobrak warned of dangerous conditions and urged residents to prepare for evacuation at the sight of anti-tank installations.
Residents in Kupiansk have reported enduring sleepless nights due to regular Russian assaults, in an area situated approximately 100 kilometers east of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov revealed that, in some areas, Russian troops are as close as four kilometers from the city’s boundaries. He noted that constant shelling had made infrastructure repairs, including electricity, heating, and water, too challenging.
Speaking to reporters in Kharkiv, Syniehubov emphasized the priority of evacuating around 4,000 residents from the left bank of the Oskil River. Additionally, Ukraine’s GUR Intelligence directorate announced on Friday that Ukrainian forces succeeded in clearing Russian troops from a village south of Kupiansk in a week-long operation. The village of Kruhlyakivka is deemed crucial for the defense of the city.
