Ukrainian forces have regained control of the entire city of Kupiansk, in northeastern Ukraine, and have driven Russian troops from their positions on the eastern bank of the Oskil River, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
Part of the zone in that region had already been returned to the Russians in early September, thanks to the Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Kharkov region.
But Moscow troops still held out on the other side of the river, as artillery fighting ensued, while civilians fled and tried to cross to the Ukrainian side.
This Thursday, Ukrainian firefighters and volunteers crossed an intact crosswalk connecting the two banks of the Oskil River with a first batch of humanitarian aid.
“This will be the first humanitarian aid distribution from the other side”Andrii Kanachevitch, Kupiansk’s military administrator, emphasized as 2,000 food parcels provided by the British were distributed.
Mortar shots sounded intermittently, but on the eastern bank Ukrainian tanks and armored vehicles were seen by destroyed trucks marked with the letter “Z”, a sign of recognition of Russian troops.
AFP journalists saw five corpses in military uniforms, possibly soldiers from Moscow, near vehicles with Russian markings.
In the industrial suburb of Kupiansk-Vouzlovii, on the eastern bank of the Oskil, three miles south, residents said the Russians left on Tuesday.
Also on Thursday, an armored vehicle and a platoon of Ukrainian soldiers stood in front of the cultural center of the district and at least two tanks drove through the area.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on Feb. 24 has already resulted in more than 13 million people having fled — more than six million internally displaced persons and more than 7.5 million to European countries — according to the most recent UN data, which rank this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the international community at large, which has responded by sending arms to Ukraine and to impose political and economic sanctions on Russia.
The UN presented 5,996 dead and 8,848 injured civilians as confirmed since the start of the war, stressing that these numbers are far below the true number.
Source: DN
