Under Drone Fire, Kupiansk Civilians Escape as Russian Forces Tighten Grip

As Russian troops advance in northeastern Ukraine, residents of Kupiansk are fleeing under increasingly perilous conditions. The city, closed off since late September, now hosts Russian soldiers, according to Deutsche Welle on October 9.

Seventy-five-year-old Valentyna, who escaped from Kupiansk’s northern outskirts, told DW she left after Russian troops entered her yard. “One of them threatened me with a grenade,” she said, describing the soldier as “very drunk.” Valentyna eventually reached Kharkiv with the help of volunteers. “The shelling is terrible. Everything has been destroyed,” she said. “When drones spot someone, they hover and then swoop down. Many people are dying.”

Among other residents that fled is Mykola, 88, from Velyka Shapkivka near Kupiansk. “Suddenly there was a drone chasing me,” he recalled. “I spread my arms and said: ‘Go ahead and shoot!’” Mykola, who lost contact with his son a month ago, lives alone in a small room but keeps a second bed for him. “I want to go there,” he said. “And if I get killed, then so be it.”

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Kupiansk, located in the Kharkiv region, has endured months without reliable electricity, gas, or water. Aid deliveries have halted since the city’s closure, and humanitarian organizations have been unable to enter.

The Relief Coordination Center (RCC) reports about 100 evacuation requests daily from the area, a sharp increase since September. “Many people wait until the last minute,” said RCC regional director Bohdan Yakhno. “When they try to leave on their own, they risk being attacked by drones.”

International organization Help–Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe has funded social workers assisting displaced people in Kharkiv. Viktoria, one such worker, told DW she is responsible for ten elderly women. “I know these people have nobody else to help them,” she said.

Earlier, it was reported that India and Russia aim to boost annual trade by nearly 50% in five years, with New Delhi pushing to remove trade barriers amid Western pressure.

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