Residents of dozens of Ukrainian communities in the Kharkiv region were ordered to evacuate today, due to the advance of the Russian army, which earlier announced that it was “improving its positions”.

Russian forces were driven out of Kupyansk and its environs thanks to a blitzkrieg attack by the Ukrainian military in September last year. For a few weeks now, however, they have been counter-attacking in this area and often talk about occupying territories.

“In the direction of Kupyansk, the assault units of the ‘West’ battle formations improved, with offensive actions, their positions on the front line,” the Russian Defense Ministry claimed in its daily report.

Because of this advance, local Ukrainian authorities ordered the evacuation of 37 communities in the Kupyansk region. These are villages located near the front, on the left bank of the river Oskil.

The administration of Kupyansk, a city of about 25,000 before the war, advised in the morning that those who live there should flee to Kharkiv, the provincial capital, “due to the difficult security situation and increased shelling”. Governor Oleh Sinegubov said two people were injured overnight in the village of Kintrachivka, which is among those to be evacuated. Kupyansk was also hit twice, he added, posting a photo of a bomb-damaged administrative building.

A 36-year-old woman living in the village of Kivtsarifka said she was preparing to leave for Zhytomyr, in central Ukraine. “The situation is dangerous, it’s important to get the children to a safe place,” said Anna Korets, who has four young children. Her husband will stay behind to take care of his mother who is recovering from a stroke.

According to the maps presented by the Ministry of Defense of Russia, the Russian forces are a few kilometers away from Kupyansk. On Monday, the Russian army said that in three days it advanced three kilometers in the direction of this city.