Russia strikes evacuation convoy near Kupiansk in Kharkiv region
Photo: The Defense Forces called the strike on the convoy leaving Kupiansk a Russian provocation (Getty Images)
Russian forces struck a convoy leaving Kupiansk. According to available information, it consisted mostly of civilians, according to Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for the Joint Forces Group.
"News has just come in from Kupiansk — as expected, this whole story about the evacuation of civilians ended with a provocation. A strike was carried out on a convoy leaving the city which, according to our information, consisted mostly of civilians," Trehubov said.
The Defense Forces are now checking how many people were injured and what exactly happened. There is video of the incident, but it is not clear enough to establish the details.
"Previously, the Russians used these pseudo-evacuations to rotate personnel, but it seems this was the last one, and they decided to use it for an information provocation. They directly struck the very people they had brought out," the spokesperson noted.
Trehubov also confirmed that Russian forces are present in Kupiansk, particularly in the northern districts of the city. According to him, Russia is using its presence specifically for such provocations.
Overall, Russian forces have stepped up their activity in the Kupiansk area, the spokesperson said.
"If we look at Kupiansk on the eastern bank of the Oskil, and the Kupiansk area as a whole, the Russians have become a little more active there. They are actively trying to advance toward Polohy and are also actively trying to advance toward Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi," he said.
Explosions were heard in Kyiv on the evening of October 12 before the air raid alert, and the Ukrainian Air Force explained why this happened.
Yurii Ihnat, head of the Communications Department of the Ukrainian Air Force Command, said that air raid alerts may be delayed and intelligence data from partners does not always reach Ukraine.
We also reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had not struck Russian oil refineries for two days.
According to him, during this period, Russia attacked 19 Ukrainian regions, including energy facilities.
