The push by Russian troops seems to be consolidating in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, in the northeast of the country, while Ukraine is concentrating its slow counter-offensive in the south, where it wants to break enemy defenses in Kherson and Zaporizhia. Due to the Russian advance, Ukraine will evacuate thousands of people.
The measure, ordered yesterday Thursday by the Kúpiansk district authorities, will affect 37 localities in the south of Kharkiv. The head of the district’s military administration, Andrí Kanaixevich, pointed out that the evacuation is mandatory. In a statement published on Telegram, this administration says that “in the territories near the combat zone, the mandatory evacuation of the population to safe regions of Ukraine will be carried out.” The localities affected are on the left bank of the Oskil river, a tributary of the Don.
This measure affects more than 11,000 people, including 600 children. But it’s hardly surprising, given the state of the battlefront in recent weeks. A day earlier, Kanaishevich had already asked the residents of this area to leave voluntarily. He suggested that they “responsibly and thoughtfully decide to move temporarily to safe territories.”
The main city in this area, Kúpiansk, which in 2021 had a population of 25,000 inhabitants, is not affected by the evacuation order. But those responsible for its administration have recommended its inhabitants to go to Kharkiv, the regional capital.
Since the beginning of August, the Ministry of Defense of Russia has reported the successful progress of its offensive in Kharkiv in the direction of Kúpiansk. His spokesman, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, said on Monday that Russian troops had taken three kilometers on a battle front with a width of eleven kilometers. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense, Hanna Maliar, assured the same day that Moscow is trying to recover a territory that it occupied since the beginning of the military intervention, in February 2022, and from which it had to withdraw after the counterattack of the ukrainian troops
Now on the offensive, in recent weeks Moscow has claimed progress on the ground. “In the direction of Kúpiansk, during the offensive actions the assault units of the West combat groups have improved their positions on the front line”, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced yesterday in the daily press release.
