Ukraine evacuates thousands from embattled Kharkiv town

Ukraine on Friday said it was evacuating thousands of people from an embattled northeastern town that Kyiv retook from Russia about six months after Moscow launched its invasion in 2022.

Kupiansk, a key rail hub in the northeastern Kharkiv region, has suffered deadly shelling attacks in recent months as Moscow’s forces get within a few kilometers of the town.

The region’s governor had warned on Tuesday that authorities were no longer able to guarantee electricity and water to residents due to “constant shelling” and ordered all civilians in Kupiansk and three nearby communities to leave.

“In total, about 10,000 people need to be evacuated. The pace of evacuation is increasing every day,” governor Oleg Sinegubov said in a video on his Telegram account published Friday.

Kupiansk was seized by Moscow shortly after it invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and Ukrainian forces retook it around six months later.

It was home to just under 30,000 people before the war. Repeated Russian artillery strikes have badly damaged many of its buildings and left dozens of civilians dead.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unveiled an ambitious “victory plan” this week setting out his vision to end the war with Russia.

Russia has been pushing ahead in eastern Ukraine for months, capturing tens of small towns and villages as Kyiv’s overstretched troops grapple with exhaustion and manpower shortages.