LUGANSK, November 13. /TASS/. At least 1,000 civilians remain in the city of Kupyansk in the Kharkov Region, where a liberation operation is underway, Vitaly Ganchev, head of the regional military-civilian administration, said at a press conference.

"At least 1,000 of our citizens remain in Kupyansk, who simply live there and are waiting to be liberated. They are the people that the Ukrainian command failed to forcibly evacuate. <...> These people are unwilling to leave their homes, especially the elderly ones, who find it difficult to adapt to new conditions," he noted in response to a TASS question.

The official added that Kiev had tried to relocate civilians not only from Kupyansk but also from many other populated areas across the region.

"We have talked with them (the elderly people - TASS) after the evacuation, and they say that they preferred to stay at home, albeit hiding in basements, and wait for the Russians," Ganchev concluded.