"There are two cities in eastern Ukraine where street-to-street fighting is taking place, the two most-coveted targets of the Russian army: Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region, and Kupiansk, in Kharkiv province. Both are locations of great strategic value, but while all indications are that Pokrovsk could fall into the hands of the invaders in the short term, Ukrainian troops have so far managed to reverse a defeat in Kupiansk that seemed certain a few months ago."
"The defending forces believe Russian soldiers have taken refuge there. An hour after the attack on the building, the observation drones transmit images of six figures leaving the building's entrance, carrying bags. They are civilians running for cover in a basement of the neighboring building. Magnet immediately suspends the attack and orders troops on the ground to move to the shelter to confirm they are not the enemy. Within minutes, two Ukrainian assault soldiers burst into the basement. They soon confirm that the occupants are civilians and leave for a safer position."
Two eastern Ukrainian cities, Pokrovsk and Kupiansk, are sites of intense street-to-street combat and hold major strategic value. Pokrovsk appears close to falling to Russian forces, while Ukrainian troops have recently reversed a seeming defeat in Kupiansk. Summer reinforcements, improved brigade coordination, favourable local terrain, and a Russian troop concentration near Pokrovsk helped Ukrainian forces hold Kupiansk. At Magnet's command post, bomb and observation drones identified suspected Russian positions in an apartment block, but civilians fleeing to a neighbouring basement prompted suspension of the attack and verification on the ground. Approximately 800 civilians may remain in Kupiansk from a pre-war population of 26,000. Russian authorities took control of Kupiansk in February 2022.
Read at english.elpais.com
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