Ukraine war: Kyiv orders evacuation in Kupiansk, city it recaptured last year

Ukraine has told immoderate residents to permission Kupiansk, arsenic Russia seeks to re-take the metropolis it near past year.

Kharkiv's subject bid urged families and those "with constricted mobility" to permission owed to "constant" shelling by Russian forces.

Russia took the city, an important proviso hub, aboriginal successful the full-scale invasion, with Ukraine re-capturing it past September.

Meanwhile, Wagner radical says it troops person "practically encircled" Bakhmut.

Earlier this week, President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted the concern successful Bakhmut - astir 130km (80 miles) southbound of Kupiansk - was becoming "more and much difficult".

In Kupiansk, the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration said the evacuation bid was owed to the "unstable information situation" caused by Russia's shelling of the municipality and its surroundings.

It said those evacuated would beryllium provided with assistance, including accommodation, food, humanitarian assistance and aesculapian support.

Other citizens are besides permitted to permission the region, it added. The metropolis had a pre-war colonisation of astir 25,000.

The Institute for the Study of War said this week that Russian forces were continuing "limited crushed attacks" north-east of Kupiansk, arsenic good arsenic violative operations astir Kreminna, astir 80km (50 miles) south.

Kupiansk - location to an important railway junction - has witnessed fierce warring since the warfare began, with Russia taking power successful a substance of days, and occupying the metropolis for respective months.

Those advances were the astir important front-line changes since Russia withdrew from areas astir Kyiv successful April.

While the evacuation successful Kupiansk suggests a worsening concern there, Bakhmut has seen fierce warring for months.

In a video posted connected Telegram, Yevgeny Prigozhin, caput of the paramilitary radical Wagner, connected Friday said that "pincers are closing in" astir Bakhmut.

In a nonstop connection to President Zelensky, helium said Wagner units had "practically encircled" the city, with lone 1 roadworthy remaining.

He called connected the Ukrainian president to wantonness the city.