KUPIANSK, KHARKIV OBLAST, UKRAINE, 2023 Kupiansk was among the most threatened cities on the northeastern front of Ukraine in 2023. After its liberation in the autumn of 2022, the area became a key defensive point, because Russian forces repeatedly tried to push back on this axis. The city was located only a few kilometers from the front line and was long-term exposed to artillery and missile shelling, which hit residential districts, infrastructure, and civilian objects.
During 2023, a number of attacks took place in Kupiansk, some of which had significantly tragic consequences. For example, in September 2023 Russian forces shelled the city and its surroundings, and one of the strikes hit a civilian vehicle with volunteers evacuating residents – six people were killed. In another case that same year, a Russian airstrike on the city killed several civilians when an area with residential buildings and public places was hit. Overall, it was a period of intense and repeated shelling that led to evacuations, disruption of basic services, and further deterioration of an already difficult humanitarian situation in the city.
Aftermath photo
