Russian shelling killed a 45-year-old man and wounded at least one person in the town of Kupyansk in northeastern Ukraine on Tuesday morning, Ukrainian officials said.
The city in the Kharkiv region was seized by Moscow shortly after Russia's invasion 18 months ago, recaptured by Kiev last September, and is again under frequent fire as Moscow tries to retaliate in the northeast, Reuters reports.
Some residents remained in the city, but the regional authorities ordered the mandatory evacuation of civilians from the Kupyansk front because of the difficult situation.
Regional governor Oleh Sinehubov said the man killed Tuesday was a guard at a meat processing plant hit in the latest shelling. The prosecution announced that a 67-year-old man was also injured during the shelling.
Reuters could not verify the situation in the city, nor reports from the battlefield.
Before the war, Kupiyansk was home to about 27.000 people and is a railway junction about 100 km east of the regional capital, Kharkiv. Losing the city for the second time would be a significant blow to the momentum on the battlefield of Kiev.
Russian forces are trying to advance on the front as Kiev continues a counteroffensive in the east and south that began in early June.
Ukrainian troops are slowly advancing against Russian minefields and trenches blocking a southward push that was supposed to reach the Sea of Azov and divide Russian forces.
Media reported this month's meeting between NATO military chiefs and Ukraine's top general to reset Ukraine's military strategy, and Ukraine hopes its fighters have now broken through the toughest line of Russian defenses in the south.
In the latest updates on the battlefield, the Ukrainian military said its troops had had some "success" in the direction of the village of Verbova in the southern region of Zaporozhye, but gave no details.
It said the situation on the northern border with Russia's ally Belarus was under control, but "provocations and sabotage" on the border during joint military exercises in Belarus next month could not be ruled out.
More than 1.300 schools have been completely destroyed in government-held areas of Ukraine since the Russian invasion in 2022, with others badly damaged, the UN children's fund UNICEF said on Tuesday.
The persistent attacks mean that only about a third of school-aged children attend classes fully in person and that many forget what they have already learned, the statement said, reports Reuters.
Apart from Ukraine, more than half of children whose families have fled conflict in seven countries are not enrolled in national education, UNICEF said, citing language barriers and overburdened education systems.
Some schools suffered direct hits and others were closed as a precaution during 18 months of rocket and artillery attacks on residential areas across the country.
"Within Ukraine, attacks on schools continue unabated, leaving children deeply disadvantaged and without a safe space to learn," the statement said.
The war follows the disruption of COVID-XNUMX, meaning some Ukrainian children face a fourth consecutive school year of disruption as they return to classes this week after summer break, UNICEF said.
"Not only has this left Ukrainian children struggling to progress in their education, but they are also struggling to retain what they learned when their schools were fully operational," said Regina De Dominicis, UNICEF Regional Director. for Europe and Central Asia.
About half of Ukrainian teachers reported a decline in students' language, reading and math skills, it said, and they missed the sense of safety and friendship that school can provide to those suffering from war.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today that Japan plans to continue supporting Ukraine, reports Reuters.
Kishida told reporters that he also condemned Russia's continued attacks on Ukraine during a phone call with Zelensky.
A Russian military plane destroyed a Ukrainian drone over the Black Sea today, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced without giving any other details, reports Reuters.
The Kremlin on Tuesday described as "very satisfactory" comments by Pope Francis urging young Russians to remember their history, saying the Russian state has a rich heritage and it is good that the pope knows Russian history.
Pope Francis has been criticized for telling Russian youth last Sunday to remember that they are the heirs of past tsars such as Peter the Great, whom President Vladimir Putin cited as an example to justify Moscow's actions in Ukraine, Reuters reports.
The Ukrainian government said the comments, made by Francis in a video address to Catholic youth gathered in St Petersburg, were "deeply regrettable".
While the Vatican issued a statement on Tuesday saying the pope had no intention of glorifying past Russian imperialism, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised the pope during a meeting the same day.
"Our history has deep roots, and the legacy is not limited to Peter (the Great) or Catherine, it is much more ancient," he added.
Russians traditionally trace their nation's origins to a group of medieval principalities centered around Kiev known as Kievan Rus or Kievan Rus. Putin has tried to deny that Ukraine has a tradition of statehood and has said that Russians and Ukrainians are one people, in what Ukrainian and Western scholars call a false and self-serving view of history.
"What the (Russian) state, activist groups, teachers in schools and universities are doing now is to carry that legacy to our youth, reminding them of it," Peskov said.
He added that the fact that the pontificate sounds in line with these efforts is very, very grateful.
Russian air defenses shot down two Ukrainian drones flying over Russia's Tula region south of Moscow on Tuesday, the RIA news agency and the Russian Defense Ministry reported, Reuters reports.
On Tuesday, South Korea presented a financial aid of 520 billion won (363 million euros) to Ukraine next year, which is eight times more than this year.
The aid package includes 130 billion (90 million euros) for reconstruction, 260 billion (190 million euros) in humanitarian aid and another 130 billion won through international organizations, according to South Korea's 2024 budget, Reuters reports.
In July, President Ion Suk Ieol announced that his country would provide "a large volume of military supplies" this year, without giving further details.
On Tuesday, Jun also announced an increase in South Korea's official development assistance for strategic areas, including the Asia-Pacific region and Africa, from 1,4 billion won to 2 billion won (about 700 million euros).
The increase in overseas aid is part of an effort to help South Korean companies expand overseas and secure national interests, such as supply chains, and take responsibility as a key member of the global community, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said in a budget statement.
Bonus video:
