Convicts released from Russian prisons, acting under military commanders, being sent to fight
A woman lights a candle during an evening service at Saint Volodymyr’s Cathedral, in Kyiv. Pic/AP
Ukrainian authorities ordered a mandatory evacuation Thursday of nearly 12,000 civilians from 37 towns and villages in the eastern Kharkiv region, where Russian forces reportedly are making a concerted effort to punch through the front line.
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The local military administration in Kharkiv’s Kupiansk district said 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 of the areas.
Russia has concentrated assault troops supported by tank units, aviation and artillery in the Kupiansk area. It has 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 Ukrainian Armed Forces.
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