The evacuation zone in Kharkiv oblast is now expanded due to the Russian forces' advance near Kupiansk

Authorities in Kharkiv Oblast have expanded the mandatory evacuation zone for families with children in the Kupiansk district amid intensified Russian assaults, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov announced on October 14.

The new order mandates the evacuation of families from 40 settlements, with 601 children from 409 families to be relocated to safer areas. “This decision comes in response to the deteriorating security situation near Kupiansk,” Syniehubov said.

On October 15, the military monitoring group DeepState reported that Russian forces had captured the village of Myrne in Kupiansk district and were advancing toward Ivanivka. Kupiansk itself has become a focal point of Russia’s renewed offensive in Kharkiv Oblast and has been closed to civilians since Sept. 28 due to ongoing combat operations and the threat of sabotage groups.

“Over the past few weeks, the situation has worsened. The enemy has begun clearing operations, and our positions have gradually been lost. Some were simply destroyed by artillery and drones,” DeepState wrote on October 14.

Russian gains in the Kupiansk sector mirror similar advances reported in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

The mayor of Odesa will lose his position once the city council receives the presidential decree

The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Ukraine believes that Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov’s powers will be terminated once the Odesa City Council receives the presidential decree on his loss of Ukrainian citizenship. The duties of the mayor will then be performed by the council’s secretary. CEC Deputy Head Serhii Dubovyk said in the interview for Ukrainska Pravda.

“In my opinion, from the moment the Odesa City Council receives the text of the decree of the President of Ukraine on the city mayor’s loss of citizenship, the powers of the Odesa mayor are considered terminated, unless the decree is appealed and the court suspends its effect,” Dubovyk said.

He explained that during wartime, local elections cannot be held, so the mayor’s post will remain vacant, with the council secretary serving as acting mayor. The CEC does not plan to issue a separate decision on the early termination of Trukhanov’s powers.

Trukhanov stated on October 14 that his powers would end only once the city council formally recognizes the loss of citizenship. The next council session is scheduled for November 12 or 19, with no extraordinary meeting announced.

On October 14, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had signed a decree concerning individuals holding Russian citizenship. Government sources reported that Trukhanov was among them.

Trukhanov, who has served as Odesa’s mayor since 2014, has long faced allegations of holding Russian citizenship. He denied the claim and called the decision to strip him of Ukrainian citizenship a “falsification,” saying he would challenge it in court.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) later confirmed that Trukhanov had been stripped of Ukrainian citizenship because he holds a valid Russian passport. Zelenskyy is expected to appoint Serhii Lysak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, as the first head of the Odesa City Military Administration.

Russian forces escalate with three major mechanized assaults in Donetsk Oblast

Russian forces, which largely halted reinforced company-sized mechanized assaults in late 2024 and have carried out only a handful of battalion-sized attacks in 2025, appear to have resumed larger mechanized operations in recent weeks. Prior to October 2025, their last recorded battalion-sized mechanized assault took place in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast in April 2025.

Throughout the first nine months of 2025, Russian troops primarily relied on small infantry groups conducting infiltration missions and slow, incremental advances across the front line. While this infantry-heavy approach continues, Russian forces have recently launched several comparatively larger mechanized assaults in the Kostyantynivka–Druzhkivka and Dobropillya sectors of Donetsk Oblast.

On or around October 6, Russian forces carried out at least a reinforced company-sized mechanized assault near Pankivka (east of Dobropillya), during which Ukrainian forces reportedly damaged or destroyed four tanks and eight armored vehicles. A larger, reinforced battalion-sized assault followed on Oct. 9 south of Shakhove and Volodymyrivka, involving approximately 35 tanks and armored vehicles and an unspecified number of motorcycles. Ukrainian defenders reported destroying or damaging three tanks, 16 armored vehicles, and 41 motorcycles.

Ukraine’s 1st Azov Army Corps reported another reinforced company-sized assault in the Dobropillya direction on October 13, involving 16 armored vehicles and tanks, as well as motorcycles. Russian troops again attempted to seize Shakhove, but Ukrainian forces destroyed 13 armored vehicles, three tanks, and three motorcycles.

According to Ukrainian sources, Russian mechanized tactics remain consistent: armored vehicles and motorcycles transport infantry close to the front, supported by electronic warfare (EW) systems suppressing Ukrainian drones. Infantry then dismount and attack Ukrainian positions on foot.

A Ukrainian officer stated that elements of Russia’s 5th Motorized Rifle Brigade (51st Combined Arms Army, formerly 1st Donetsk People’s Republic Army Corps, Southern Military District) and the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade (Pacific Fleet) are taking part in these recent assaults.