Ukraine has ordered mandatory evacuation of over 12,000 civilians from 37 towns and villages in the eastern Kharkiv region amid reports of battlefield gains made by Russian forces.
The local military administration in Kharkiv's Kupiansk district said Thursday residents must comply with the evacuation order or sign a document saying they would stay at their own risk.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar had said the previous day that "the intensity of combat and enemy shelling is high" in the area.
The city of Kupiansk and the territories around it were under Russian occupation until September 2022, when Ukrainian forces conducted a rapid offensive operation that dislodged the Kremlin’s forces from nearly the entire Kharkiv region.
The retaking of those areas strengthened Ukraine’s arguments that its troops could deliver more stinging defeats to Russia with additional armament deliveries, which its Western allies duly provided. But as Ukraine has pursued a slow-moving counteroffensive in recent weeks, Russian forces have struck back in some areas.
Maliar said Russia "has formed an offensive group and is attempting to move forward" in the area in an effort to advance on the Ukrainian-held city of Kupiansk, an important rail junction.
Russia has concentrated assault troops supported by tank units, aviation and artillery in the Kupiansk area, Ukraine National Guard spokesman Ruslan Muzychuk said on national television.
The Russians have formed eight so-called "Storm-Z" detachments – made up of convicts released from prison acting under military commanders – for the push, and fighting in the area was "intense," according to Oleksandr Syrskyi, the ground forces commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
"Some positions are passed from hand to hand constantly," he said.
It was not possible to independently verify either side's battlefield claims.
Ukrainian authorities have periodically ordered evacuations, especially of children, from areas where the fighting has heated up. Officials have previously said the evacuations are necessary to save lives and enable the Ukrainian army to better defend towns from the Russian advance.
Millions of Ukrainian refugees left the country after Russia’s invasion started in February 2022, and millions more left their homes but stayed in Ukraine.