Russian forces launched a guided aerial bomb at the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, killing three civilians, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on Sept. 19.

First responders are working on the site, Syniehubov said, adding that complete information on casualties and damages is still being determined.

Kupiansk has recently come under intensified attacks as Russia continues its offensive operation to retake the territories in Kharkiv Oblast liberated by Ukraine’s surprise counteroffensive last autumn. Kupiansk was occupied by Russian forces from Feb. 27 to Sept. 10, 2022.

Read also: Escape from Kupiansk: How one cop tricked the Russians

Russia has amassed around 110,000 soldiers along the Kupiansk-Lyman axis, according to Illia Yevlash, spokesperson for the Eastern Military Group.

Last month, Ukrainian authorities ordered the mandatory evacuation of 37 settlements in the Kupiansk district.

A total of 1,433 people, including 343 children, have been evacuated from front-line areas in Kharkiv Oblast's Kupiansk district since Aug. 9, Syniehubov said on Aug. 28.

Read also: Pro-Russian sympathies make life harder for soldiers, cops in Kupiansk district

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