KYIV (AFP): Ukrainian authorities in the Kharkiv region announced Thursday they were ordering more children to be evacuated with their guardians from several towns and villages threatened by advancing Russian forces.
The decision points to the mounting problems facing Ukrainian forces that are attempting to hold back a better resourced Russian army across a sprawling frontline.
“In total 267 children and their families are to be evacuated from 16 settlements to safe places,” the regional governor Oleg Synegubov said wrote on social media.
He said the settlements that fell within the evacuation order are near the town of Kupiansk — a key prize for Russian forces that are fighting around its outskirts.
“The decision was made due to the intensified hostile shelling. We urge families with minors to save their lives and leave the dangerous areas,” Synegubov added in his post.
Ukrainian forces recaptured swathes of the Kharkiv region, which borders Russia, in a late 2022 offensive but Moscow’s army have been clawing back land in recent months.