Ukraine Evacuates Kupyansk Amid Russian Advances

Ukraine has ordered a mandatory evacuation of the northeastern city of Kupyansk and its surrounding areas as Russia intensifies shelling in the Kharkiv region and claims to have captured Ukrainian positions near the city. Kupyansk, which fell to Russian forces in February 2022 but was later liberated, has become the epicenter of hostilities as Russia seeks to capture it for a second time. The evacuation order affects around 12,000 people, including over 600 children. Russian assaults have intensified, with air strikes and artillery barrages causing civilian casualties. Russia aims to fix Ukrainian troops in the region to prevent them from assisting in counteroffensives elsewhere and to bring them closer to their goal of securing the eastern Luhansk region.