UKRAINE, KUPIANSK DISTRICT —This story was written at the end of August, when Russia had only been ramping up its offensive on Kupiansk. Now, the situation has worsened. The dangerous area around Kupiansk is expanding, and Russian troops are increasing the amount of the drone attacks by at least 70%, according to the “Rose on the Hand” evacuation team However, they continue to help people get to safety even from the Kupiansk district and its zones that are more deadly now.
Kupiansk district is growing more dangerous and less livable by the day due to relentless shelling and advances of Russian forces toward the city center. Glide bombs, rocket and tube artillery shelling have become routine.
The main threat now comes from Russian FPV (first-person view) drones that strike highways across all main paths to the city, which make evacuation far more deadly and unpredictable.
Older adults are among the most vulnerable. Many of them can’t evacuate on their own because of health issues or lack of connection with volunteer networks that could assist them.
Evacuation is also hindered by the locals’ reluctance to leave despite the constant danger. Their hesitation puts volunteers at greater risk — forcing them to return to increasingly perilous areas under heavy fire and swarms of drones. Often, evacuation vehicles are not equipped to handle the terrain or hostile conditions.
At 5 a.m., Gwara Media journalists joined the search and rescue team “Rose on the Hand” on an evacuation mission.
The people with the roses
The rescue team has several members: Denys, Maryna, Oleh, and Ara. Maryna, who handles evacuation requests around the clock, is a recent addition to the team. Before the full-scale invasion, she lived in Kupiansk. But when the Russian full-scale invasion began, she and her daughter were forced to walk nearly 10 kilometers (~6 miles) along a mined roadside to escape.
Maryna knows the local landscape intimately, which makes her an invaluable guide for coordinating evacuations over the phone. As the rescue team drives toward the Kupiansk district, she directs locals by landmarks only they would know. During air raid alerts, she calms people down and urges them to hide in the shelter.
Denys is the team’s skilled driver. He navigates the risky terrain quickly and precisely, constantly talking with another volunteer group via radio. Once they arrive at the evacuation site, Denys helps locals load their belongings into the vehicle and watches the surroundings for threats.
Not leaving people alone with their fear
Around 7 a.m., we arrive in the Kupiansk district and meet the first group of locals waiting to evacuate. It is Serhii, Alla, and a third man who asked not to be named. They’re from Osynove, a village approximately 8 kilometers (4 miles) from Kupiansk.
Here, intense fighting is already underway. A few neighbors agreed to bring evacuees closer to a safer location to meet with the rescue team.
Alla decided to evacuate because staying home had become impossible under constant Russian attacks. The couple lived without electricity, and to get any cell signal, they had to climb nearby hills, fully exposed to potential air strikes. Still, some of her relatives and friends have chosen to stay behind despite the danger.
Serhii, an 83-year-old, is the oldest from the group. He agreed to leave because of the constant shelling, though it was his wife who took the initiative to request help. In Kharkiv, their daughter and granddaughter are waiting for them.
It was safe enough for the team to take everyone on board, and continue to look for others willing to evacuate. This is a far better option than leaving old adults or immobile people out in the open.
Throughout the journey, the team uses drone detectors to know when to hit the road and book it.
“What’s that?” one of the evacuees asks, pointing to the drone detector in Oleh’s hands.
“Well, old man…” the volunteer replies, grinning, “If you see our van on that screen — that’s the time to remember all your sins and start praying.”
Radio communication had to stay minimal. No details, just essentials. Occasionally, we caught a split-second of enemy’s signal interference. But for now, the road ahead is quiet.
The last residents in the house
Around 7:30 a.m. in Starovirivka, a village located 13 kilometers (8 miles) from Kupiansk, two elderly men approach us within minutes of each other.
One of them, a 65-year-old Viktor, despite the volunteers’ urging, refuses to evacuate. He angrily blames nearly everyone who parks near residential buildings, believing this is what attracts Russian drones.
Viktor takes us to his damaged apartment. The wall of the living room is partially destroyed, revealing the neighboring building, which was almost completely leveled by a direct strike from a Russian drone.
Viktor’s front door was blown off by the blast wave and now the man uses heavy objects to keep it shut. Utilities in the building work only intermittently.
There are no more neighbors. The last one died in a recent attack — the same one that injured Viktor.
“I ended up with an injured shoulder, ringing in my head, and total shock,” Viktor says.
The second man, Oleksandr, isn’t ready to leave either. He says he can’t abandon his mother, who lives in the nearby village of Hrushivka, a village 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Kupiansk.
So, we head there to visit his family’s home along with the volunteers.
Oleksandr’s mother is 91. With a trembling voice and tears in her eyes, she tells us she survived World War II. She’s lived in Hrushivka most of her life, in the house that was built by her husband.
Volunteer Oleh notices, and the mother confirms, that Oleksandr struggles with mental health issues. But currently, there are not enough volunteers at the centers for IDPs (Internally displaced persons) to provide the accommodations and care he would need.
Still, Ara from the “Rose” offers Oleksandr another chance to evacuate with his mother. The volunteers try to get in touch with any relatives who could take responsibility for their care, explaining that moving them to Kharkiv without family support could lead to serious, unpredictable consequences. But they’re unable to reach an agreement this time.
There’s no time to wait, though. Other evacuees are waiting, and it’s time to get them to Kharkiv.
Author: Mykyta Kuznetsov
Hi, I’m Nazar Hlamazda. I translated this story for you — the original was written by journalist Mykyta Kuznetsov, a recent addition to Gwara’s team. Thanks for reading it! Reporters in Ukraine are risking their lives to report from the places close to the frontline, and we are not an exception. We would be able to make our trips safer if we had good ammunition and insurance. You can help us with that by buying us a coffee or subscribing to our Patreon.
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