On the ground in Ukraine, the desperate fight to protect a key city from 100,000 of ‘Putin’s thugs’

The northeastern city of Kupiansk is a key target for Russia as it attempts to fight back against Ukraine’s summer offensive. As relentless shelling bombards the city, Kim Sengupta meets residents and soldiers facing daily assault

Ukrainian forces in the area around Kupiansk (Ukrainian Armed Forces)

We were born here, lived here all our lives, and we’ll die here,” says Antonia Samuelska as she trudges along with the aid of a walking stick on a deserted street in Kupiansk. “We have no other home anywhere else, we’ll have to accept what comes.”

The stillness of a hot afternoon under a blazing sun is broken by the sudden roar of artillery fire, three rounds landing one after the other in quick succession, not far away, spraying dust and debris up into the air with plumes of flame and smoke.

“See that? That’s what’s happening every day now. They get closer and closer, what are they trying to hit? Those are just empty houses, most people have left”, says Samuelska. “This place has been attacked since the start of the war. We had a little bit of peace after that, and then it started again”.