Ukraine Orders Evacuation of Children Amid Intense Fighting, Russia Presses Counteroffensive in Northeast Ukraine

Intense continued conflict forces Ukraine to order large-scale evacuation of children, while Russia increases assault in Northeast region, with major cities and strategic points under constant threat.

The intense fighting in Ukraine has prompted the government to order large-scale evacuations of children, particularly in the battered southern and eastern regions which are under heavy shelling from Russia.
Authorities are conducting door-to-door campaigns to persuade parents to relocate for their children's safety. In one instance, about 450 children from 36 settlements were moved out, but around 1,000 remained.
The conflict, which has dragged on for 20 months, has reached extreme levels of violence, with Russian forces dropping 1,000-pound bombs capable of razing entire buildings.
Russian forces are pressing counteroffensive operations, especially in the Northeast Ukraine. Fierce battles have been reported in cities of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region and around the previously occupied cities of Kupyansk and Lyman.
Russia has noticeably escalated its forces in recent weeks by creating new, fresh brigades, and is aiming to encircle strategically significant points, including the city of Kupyansk.