Inside Kupyansk a long baluster cross stands inside a checkpoint a few kilometers from the city. Its wooden face, chipped by icy winds, is not among the world’s famous war relics. Yet it serves as a sign that the situation is dire. The Ukrainian soldier checks the vehicle quickly and waves it through without delay. There is no time or desire for more lingering.
Today the gunner has been on the hunt for targets since dawn, and the road remains clear only for those fleeing. The landscape is scarred by huge potholes and collapsed bridges. Kupyanska sits at the eastern end of Kharkiv region and represents one of the fiercest fronts in eastern Ukraine. Since February, Russian forces in nearby towns and parts of the Lugansk region have increased their fire, closing in from multiple directions.
A city that before the war counted about 26,000 residents now hosts a scattered crowd of a few hundred. People move through the streets with plastic bags in hand, many neighborhoods almost deserted and kept in a wary calm. From a hill, the town hall looks as if punctured by holes, lacking windows and the quiet dignity of a building that once stood firm. Snow and mud mix on the ground, seeping through blast craters. In the air, a gray smoke lingers not far away, a reminder that another strike may come. In the central market, the gray sky merges with rubble and dust, leaving little intact.
strategic path
Many residents were evacuated days ago. Regional authorities ordered the separation of the most vulnerable families from the rest. The reasons remain unclear. Some Ukrainian troops press hard on Russian positions, risking civilian harm in the process. Others fear harsher scenarios: Kupiansk was reclaimed in September, but there is little time to organize large-scale departures for those who chose to stay. Yet some residents are gradually adjusting to a looming occupancy by enemy forces, waiting for further developments.
The outcome here is uncertain. Ukrainian artillery and infantry gains depend on secret front positions—accessible to Western media only under strict security conditions. The soldiers stationed in the area are not newcomers; many have fought since the Donbass conflict began and have also defended Kharkiv last year. Now they have spent months in this zone, sharpening their ability to withstand repeated Russian assaults.
“Before, we could counter thirty shots with one return, but the balance has shifted,” says a tank commander from a local brigade. “The Russians dig trenches quickly, lay multiple defensive lines, and bring many troops. If they recapture Kupiansk and push on toward Lugansk, that would be a decisive gain for them.”
evacuations
Local volunteer networks, self-organized and persistent, do their best under severe pressure. Yet the military governor of Kharkiv region has ordered evacuations for the most exposed areas. The message is clear to the inhabitants: the front line sits here, and Russian forces are pressing relentlessly. People are urged to leave, even as some refuse to abandon homes. Posters with evacuation hotlines have appeared across the area, and cities like Zhytomyr in western Ukraine have offered to take in hundreds of families.
The pace of life slows under bombardment. Roads linking surrounding towns are racked with destruction, houses are ruined by mortar fire and missiles, and armored convoys churn through muddy patches and frozen ruts. Yet some residents choose to stay, while others pack what they can in a hurry. The goal remains simple for many: survive, and hope for safer days ahead.
In nearby developments, the conflict persists. On a recent Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted the Kharkiv region as a frontline where attacks have been brutal, occurring day and night. Earlier, Ukraine’s General Staff reported continued Russian attempts to press Kupyansk and Liman to disrupt troop movements toward other regions. The Ukrainian forces have met stiff resistance, and, according to reports, the offensive has not yet achieved its aims.