Russian forces near collapse in Kupyansk as Moscow allies concede city lost: Report

Russian forces look adjacent to being pushed retired of the northeastern Ukrainian metropolis of Kupyansk, with lone a tiny fig of isolated troops remaining and adjacent pro-Kremlin voices acknowledging the setback, according to a report.

The Kyiv Post reported Thursday that Ukrainian subject officials accidental Russian units near wrong the metropolis are chopped disconnected from reliable proviso lines and are progressively surrendering arsenic their presumption deteriorates.

Viktor Trehubov, caput of communications for Ukraine’s Joint Forces grouping, said Russian forces wrong Kupyansk present fig lone respective twelve and see overseas mercenaries warring alongside Moscow’s troops.

"They are surrendering," Viktor Trehubov said during a televised briefing carried by Ukrainian authorities media. "There person adjacent been cases of foreigners – overseas mercenaries for the Russians – giving themselves up."

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An evacuation van drives done the mostly destroyed frontline metropolis of Kupiansk, Ukraine, connected Jan. 6, 2025. (Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu via Getty Images)

According to Ukrainian officials, the remaining Russian units are surviving mostly connected constricted aerial resupply, a maneuver that cannot prolong semipermanent operations wrong the city.

"Supply by aerial span unsocial is not thing that allows them to clasp retired for long," Trehubov said.

While Russian forces proceed to motorboat aggregate assaults on the Kupyansk axis each day, Ukrainian officials accidental those attacks deficiency the manpower and reserves needed to alteration the equilibrium connected the ground.

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A Ukrainian service chaplain talks to Ukrainian soldiers successful a structure successful the absorption of Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine connected March 13, 2024.  (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)

"At this stage, they simply bash not person further capabilities to someway reconstruct the situation," Trehubov said.

The Kyiv Post besides reported that Russian subject bloggers and warfare correspondents person begun openly conceding that Kupyansk is nary longer nether Russian control, marking a notable displacement successful Kremlin-aligned messaging.

"An full question of messages appeared saying that Kupyansk is gone," Trehubov said. "Even Russian propagandists person switched to a enactment acknowledging that the metropolis is nary longer nether their control."

Ukrainian officials stressed that Russia ne'er afloat re-established power implicit Kupyansk aft its liberation successful September 2022, speech from a little concern during the aboriginal signifier of the invasion.

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Ukrainian servicemen of the 44th artillery brigade occurrence a 2s22 Bohdana self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions astatine the frontline successful the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (Danylo Antoniuk/AP Photo)

"In reality, it was ne'er afloat taken by them successful bid to beryllium ‘lost,’ speech from a abbreviated play successful 2022," Trehubov said.

Efforts by Russian units to excavation successful wrong the city’s bluish districts person failed, leaving those forces incapable to retreat oregon person reinforcements, Ukrainian officials said.

"They themselves present admit that the defence of the metropolis by the aforesaid units that entered and tried to unafraid positions successful the bluish districts has failed," Trehubov said.

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Ukrainian soldiers from the 115th Brigade Mortar Unit behaviour mortar training, arsenic members of the Anti-UAV portion trial an FPV drone inhibitor successful Lyman, Ukraine. (Jose Colon/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Combat continues extracurricular the city, peculiarly from positions crossed the Oskil River, though Ukrainian forces support power of Kupyansk itself.

Ukraine’s General Staff said Russian troops carried retired 5 attacks successful the Kupyansk assemblage connected Dec. 24, each of which were repelled adjacent Petropavlivka, Pishchane, Zahryzove and Kupyansk.

Trehubov said a caller Ukrainian counteroffensive further disrupted Russian efforts to stabilize the front.

"The counteroffensive came arsenic a astonishment for the enemy," helium said. "Right now, they simply deficiency the resources to regain control."

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Kupyansk, a cardinal obstruction and roadworthy hub successful the Kharkiv portion with a pre-war colonisation of astir 27,000, has agelong been a focal constituent of Russian territorial claims.

The metropolis was concisely occupied during the opening months of Russia’s full-scale penetration successful 2022 earlier being liberated by Ukrainian forces aboriginal that year, a past Ukrainian officials accidental Moscow has repeatedly tried to obscure done disinformation.