Kyiv : Ukrainian authorities have ordered the evacuation of families from dozens of villages near the northeastern city of Kupiansk, citing a rapidly deteriorating security situation. The region has been the focus of sustained Russian assaults, leaving the city heavily damaged.

Oleh Syniehubov, governor of Kharkiv region, reported that 409 families, including 601 children, were initially instructed to leave 27 villages. The evacuation list was later expanded to 40 localities, according to local officials.

Kupiansk has been a strategic point in the ongoing conflict, initially captured by Russian forces during the early weeks of the February 2022 invasion and later reclaimed by Ukrainian troops. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reaffirmed that Ukrainian forces are defending key frontline areas, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that Moscow maintains a strategic advantage along the front.

The Ukrainian military continues to face a broad front, with top officer Oleksander Syrskyi estimating it stretches over 1,200 kilometers (775 miles). The evacuations highlight the ongoing humanitarian challenges as communities near the frontline confront relentless attacks and the threat of further escalation.