Evacuation Amidst Rising Tensions in Kupiansk

Yuliia Baibak, unable to endure another Russian air strike, evacuated her parents from Kupiansk, a city in northeastern Ukraine under assault. As Russian forces advance, residents face sleepless nights amidst ongoing shelling, prompting mandatory evacuations. Russian attacks have disrupted repairs to critical infrastructure in the region.

Yuliia Baibak, overwhelmed by another Russian air assault on her neighborhood, took decisive action, evacuating her parents from the besieged Ukrainian city of Kupiansk. 'I came to my parents all white, crying and scared, and said, 'Either we leave, or they'll kill us all here,'' Baibak expressed on Thursday while aiding her mother, who is in a wheelchair, to a waiting car.

Baibak and her parents are part of thousands facing a mandatory evacuation this week from Kupiansk and nearby settlements as Russian forces press on towards this strategic northeastern hub. Kyiv's campaign had recaptured Kupiansk six months after Russia's initial February 2022 invasion, yet the city now endures intensified attacks.

Further developments along the eastern front reveal advancing Kremlin troops, as they capture villages in the Donetsk region, threatening key transit hubs supporting Ukraine's eastern defenses. In the Kupiansk area, relentless Russian bombardments have rendered essential infrastructure repairs impossible, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov, leading to a major evacuation operation.

(With inputs from agencies.)