Russians evacuate Kupyansk after Kiev offensive

Day 197 after the Russian attack on Ukraine:

After the start of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, the Russian occupiers evacuated women and children from the city of Kupyansk in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv. According to Russian war correspondents, the Ukrainian army advanced about 20 kilometers into Russian territory near the town of Balaklija. According to Ukrainian sources, heavy fighting broke out again near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.

The advances at Balakliya are aimed at Kupyansk. The city is considered strategically important for the supply of Russian troops marching towards the Donbass in the north.

“The situation in the city of Kupyansk today is such that we are simply forced to ensure the evacuation of the population – at least women and children – because the city is exposed to rocket attacks by Ukrainian military units,” said the head of the Russian-installed military administration , Vitaly Gantchev, according to the state news agency Tass.

Russian troops surprised by advance

Russian troops were reportedly surprised by the advance of Ukrainian forces during the fighting in the Kharkiv region. According to Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych, Ukrainian troops have advanced much further than Russia has indicated. The Russians admitted that the town of Balakliia in the Kharkov region was encircled, Arestovych said on YouTube. In fact, the Ukrainian troops advanced much further and blocked the road to Kupyansk.

Yuri Podoliak, a Ukrainian often quoted by pro-Russian officials, wrote on Telegram: “The enemy has had considerable success at Balakliia with relatively few forces…it seems that the Russian forces have overslept this advance and awaited it elsewhere. ” There have been heavy losses. Balakliia is located between Kharkiv and Izyum, a city with an important railway junction for Russian supplies.

Several dead after night attacks

According to Ukrainian sources, several people were killed in nightly rocket and artillery attacks by Russian troops. Attacks were reported from different parts of the country. According to the authorities there, seven civilians were killed in the Donetsk region and five people were injured in the Kharkiv area.

Fighting near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant

According to Ukrainian sources, heavy fighting broke out again near the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. The military general staff said early on Thursday that in the past 24 hours there had been attacks on villages and towns with tanks and grenade launchers, among other things. Regional governor Valentyn Resnichenko wrote on the Telegram news service that Russian troops had attacked the city of Nikopol four times during the night with rockets and heavy artillery. At least eleven buildings were damaged. The head of the Dnipro regional council, Mykola Lukaschuk, also stated on Telegram that Nikopol was being shelled by Russian troops from the city of Enerhodar.

In Enerhodar is the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which is controlled by Russian troops. Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of shelling the facility. On Thursday, the Russian news agency TASS, citing the Russian-appointed chief of administration in Enerhodar, Alexander Volga, reported that Ukraine had not attacked the nuclear power plant with artillery. In the past two days, however, projectiles from drones have been fired at the nuclear power plant site.

By Editor

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