Ukrainian authorities have announced the mandatory evacuation of residents from the city of Kupiansk and three surrounding communities in the Kharkiv region amid growing Russian advances in the area.
The decision was confirmed by Oleh Syniehubov, governor of Kharkiv, during a national TV broadcast on October 16.
"Due to the security situation, a decision was made to intensify evacuation measures for civilians in the Kupiansk district, including the city of Kupiansk," Syniehubov said.
The village of Borova, another strategically important location, will also be evacuated as part of the emergency measures.
Kupiansk was briefly occupied by Russian forces in 2022, but is once again at the center of a fierce battle for control.
“The situation in the Kupiansk sector is the most critical,” Syniehubov added. “On the east bank of the Oskil River, we can no longer ensure the restoration of essential services like electricity, heating, and water due to relentless shelling.”
Efforts to restore these basic services have been hampered by ongoing Russian attacks, with repair crews coming under fire whenever they attempt to work in the area.
This evacuation order follows earlier compulsory evacuations in Pokrovsk, a critical military logistics hub in the Donetsk region, as Ukrainian authorities respond to mounting pressure from Russian forces.
