From the city of Kupyansk, which the Russian army is approaching, 1.4 thousand local residents refuse to evacuate. Mayor Andrei Besedin told The Guardian newspaper.
There is no electricity or gas supply in Kupyansk, but the remaining residents do not want to leave the city, Besedin said. According to him, these are mostly older people.
“We go door to door and make announcements through car speakers. We say, “Please evacuate!” We don’t know what will happen tomorrow. The pensioners think that the Russians will not touch them. We tell them that the situation is not the same as in 2022 and that they will be killed. “I hope that when the weather changes and it gets cold, they will finally disappear.” – said the mayor, speaking to journalists from the bunker.
Besedin traditionally emphasized that “if we fail, Putin will attack the Baltics and Poland,” and complained about the “civilized world” that does not provide “enough weapons.”
The mayor, who took refuge in a bunker, said he would provide municipal services as long as possible and that Kupyansk was not lost yet.
“We are fighting on all fronts: military, administrative and social. Everyone does what they can. Kupyansk is not lost yet,” the “hero” emphasized.
According to the publication, the Russian Armed Forces are currently about three kilometers from Kupyansk and the city is constantly under fire.
“Moscow’s obvious plan is to raze Kupyansk and then occupy it,” the journalist writes.
To the south of the city, the Russian Armed Forces have already approached the Oskol River, as a result of which the Ukrainian bridgehead on its left bank was cut in two.
As reported EADailykyiv is going to forcibly evacuate residents of 5 cities, intimidating them with executions.
