Russian strikes prompt mass evacuation in 37 towns, villages

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.

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.

Biden pushes Congress for more aid to Ukraine

WASHINGTON: The Biden administration has asked Congress to provide more than $13 billion in emergency defense aid to Ukraine and an additional $8 billion for humanitarian support through the end of the year - another infusion of cash as the Russian invasion wears on and Ukraine pushes a counteroffensive against the Kremlin's deeply entrenched forces. While the last such supplemental spending request from the White House for Ukraine funding was easily approved in 2022 despite reservations from Republicans, there's a different dynamic this time.

Footballer leaves Russian soccer club

Russian soccer club Dynamo Moscow said Norwegian midfielder Mathias Normann terminated his contract with the team and left Russia after a drone strike on buildings near the neighborhood where he lived. Normann was one of the few players from western Europe to play for a Russian club after the country's military invasion of Ukraine started in February last year, a decision that saw him exiled from Norway's national team.

West wants annexed regions returned

Six Western nations - the US, UK, France, Albania, Japan and Malta - marked the 15th anniversary of Russia's takeover of 20 per cent of Georgia's territory by demanding that Moscow return the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions.

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