KHARKIV OBLAST, UKRAINE, March 14 – Positional fighting continued along the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line,  the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported.

Positional fighting continued northeast of Kupiansk near Synkivka; northwest of Svatove near Tabaivka and Stelmakhivka; west of Kreminna near Terny and Yampolivka; and south of Kreminna near Bilohorivka (12km south of Kreminna).

Russia’s key objective in this frontline direction is to completely occupy Luhansk Oblast and advance to the east of Kharkiv and the north of Donetsk Oblast.

Map of hostilities in Eastern Ukraine / Source: ISW

According to General Staff, Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled four Russian attacks in the Kupiansk direction near Synkivka and Tabaivka in the Kharkiv Oblast over the past day. The Russian army fired mortars and artillery at more than 110 settlements in the Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kherson and Mykolaiv regions.

Earlier, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the threat of Kupiansk’s occupation during a joint briefing with European leaders in Kyiv. In response to a question from a foreign journalist who conveyed the concern of the mayor of Kupiansk about the situation and his wish that the West would deliver the promised weapons as soon as possible, the President replied: “Kupiansk needs help, Kharkiv Oblast as a whole needs help. But I want to remind you that the real defensive line in the Kharkiv Oblast is perfect, thanks to our people and the support of our partners.”

Mandatory evacuation of children from Kupiansk district continues. Four children and their families evacuated from this area yesterday. 

In total, 73 children have been evacuated from two communities: 28 from Vilkhuvatka and 45 from Velykyi Burluk, reported the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Syniehubov. This is because the Russian Federation has intensified shelling of border settlements in the Kharkiv Oblast. Russia hits about ten frontline and border settlements in the region with airstrikes every day, Syniehubov said.

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Constant missile attacks and deserted streets: how Kupiansk lives on the front line. It is 10-15 km / 6–9 miles from the front line and 40 km / 25 miles from the border with Russia. The city was severely damaged at the beginning of the full-scale invasion and during the battle for its liberation in September 2022.