The roots of Russia's invasion of Ukraine go back decades and run deep The current conflict is more than one country fighting to take over another; it is — in the words of one U.S official — a shift in "the world order."Here are some helpful stories to make sense of it all Volodymyr Omelyan says he believes that defending the Ukrainian capital Volodymyr Omelyan and his family awoke to the sound of missile blasts nearby he had said goodbye to his wife and children and had enlisted to fight and I never dreamed to be that type of guy," said Omelyan who served as Ukraine's infrastructure minister from 2016 to 2019 But he says he sees enlisting as a way to protect his family Omelyan is one of the thousands of Ukrainians who are choosing to join the fight against Russia "Hundreds of men of all ages gathered in front of the town hall in the central Ukrainian town of Mankivka to join the army," NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reported from central Ukraine "Ukraine will not kneel," one prospective enlistee told Beardsley "We will push these bastards from our land." That attitude is in line with Ukraine's leaders, who are calling on regular citizens to take up arms against Russia after Thursday's invasion looking for safety from artillery and missile barrages One of the biggest outflows has come from Kyiv thousands of civilians have started heading to Ukraine's western borders hoping to flee the country More than 50,000 Ukrainians have fled their country since the start of Russia's invasion the United Nations high commissioner for refugees The majority of refugees leaving Ukraine crossed into Poland or Moldova with many more expected to follow in the coming days However, Ukraine's border agency says one group of people won't be allowed to leave: Ukrainian male citizens who are 18 to 60 years old The policy will be in effect as long as the country remains under martial law Ukraine's border guard service said in a statement Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has drafted reservists and encouraged citizens to resist the Russians but he has not imposed a general draft thus far a 22-year-old college student in the southern city of Kherson said he was willing to fight if called upon "I just honestly cannot believe that this is happening in 2022 like in Nazi Germany when they invaded Poland." In another bid to rally military support and repel Russian forces Zelenskyy invited men from around Europe to come fight stressing that the war with Russia involves the entire continent "If you have combat experience in Europe and do not want to look at the indecision of politicians you can arrive in our state and protect Europe with us where it is now urgently required," Zelenskyy said Become an NPR sponsor Russian troops continued offensive operations in the area of Kupyansk but did not gain any confirmed successes on August 12 The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian troops conducted unsuccessful offensives northeast of Synkivka (9 km northeast of Kupyansk) north of Kyslivka (22 km southwest of Kupyansk) and near Ivanivka (20 km southeast of Kupyansk) spokesman for Ukraine’s Eastern Military Group Russian offensive operations in the Kupiansk sector are aimed at diverting the attention of Ukrainian forces from the Bakhmut sector This confirms a similar earlier assessment by ISW ISW reported that the Russian Defense Ministry said that units of the Western Group of Russian troops had improved their tactical positions in unspecified areas in the Kupyansk sector Ukrainian forces launched unsuccessful counterattacks northeast of Kupyansk The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that units of the Western Group of Russian troops repelled Ukrainian counterattacks in the area of Pershotravneve (21 km east of Kupyansk) Sinkivka and the Mankivka tract (about 15 km east of Kupyansk) Kharkiv region may face large-scale forced evacuation Due to the escalation near the localities of Kupiansk district in Kharkiv region Constant missile attacks and empty streets: how Kupyansk lives on the front line. This city in Kharkiv Oblast is 10-15 km/ 6–9 miles from the front line and 40 km/ 25 miles from the border with Russia The city was severely damaged at the beginning of the full-scale invasion and during the battle for its liberation in September 2022 it is constantly under fire from Russian MLRS and S-300 systems Russian army plans to break through Ukrainian defense in Kupyansk direction — colonel-general Syrskyi. Intense fighting is taking place, with some villages changing hands several times. 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