Front line two km from Ukraine's Kupiansk: over 900 people refuse to evacuate – city authorities
Andrii Besedin, Head of Kupiansk City Military Administration, has said that the line of contact is only two kilometres from the city. The Russians are actively bombarding the territory of the hromada, which is complicating the delivery of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians [A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories – ed.].
Source: Besedin during the national joint 24/7 newscast
Details: Besedin said the situation in the Kupiansk hromada in Kharkiv Oblast remains critical.
Quote: "The enemy is close. The line of contact is two kilometres from the city of Kupiansk. The bombardment with all types of weapons available to the enemy continues unabated: mortars, artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems of various types, guided aerial bombs and FPV drones, which the enemy uses in large numbers, hitting logistics routes and central supply routes, preventing, in particular, the delivery of humanitarian aid and free movement of the civilian population."
Details: Besedin says that the situation on the left (east) bank of the Kupiansk hromada has been critical for more than three months. Over 900 people, primarily elderly residents, remain there under challenging conditions and are refusing to evacuate.
Quote: "The number of people who remain is stable. A small number of people are leaving, especially from the left bank of the Kupiansk hromada, where the situation is critical. It has been critical for more than three months. There is no electricity, gas, or water supply, and there are no social services, shops, pharmacies, or hospitals. More than 900 residents, mostly elderly people, are staying there and refusing to leave, despite the inhumane conditions."
Background:
- On 23 December, the Russians attempted to expand their bridgehead on the left bank of the Oskil River (Kupiansk front). A battalion of Achilles unmanned aerial vehicle strike systems and the guards of the 1st Presidential Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine Burevii (Storm) and 205 Battalion of the 241st Brigade of the Special Forces stopped 12 Russian armoured vehicles. One armoured personnel carrier and two tanks were destroyed. Eight armoured personnel carriers and one tank were damaged. Eighteen Russian soldiers were killed and six were wounded.
- On 20 December, the Russians attempted to storm the outskirts of Kupiansk. Ukrainian defence forces repelled the attack and set fire to the Russians’ equipment. The Achilles Battalion’s crew destroyed three infantry fighting vehicles and a tank, and another infantry fighting vehicle was damaged. The Achilles Battalion of the 92nd Separate Air Assault Brigade together with the 116th Mechanised Brigade, the 114th Territorial Defence Forces Brigade and the 1st Burevii Brigade participated in repelling the attack.
- On 11 December, the Achilles strike UAV battalion, alongside troops from Ukraine's 1st Presidential Brigade Burevii and the 77th Airmobile Brigade, successfully repelled a Russian mechanised offensive on the Kupiansk front in Kharkiv Oblast. The Ukrainian forces destroyed one tank, three infantry fighting vehicles, and three MT-LB armoured personnel carriers during the confrontation.
- Anton Shmahailo, Commander of the 1st Strike Company of the Achilles Battalion of the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, suggested that the Russian forces had been given a deadline to achieve specific objectives in the area, likely to capture Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi before the New Year.
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