Moscow: Russian Forces Seize All of Kupyansk

By Staff, Agencies

Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov announced on Thursday that Russian forces have taken control of the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kupyansk, speaking during a briefing with President Vladimir Putin at a military command post.

Gerasimov said the city is now under full control, while Putin reviewed the broader battlefield situation and praised the performance of Russian troops.

Kupyansk is a key logistical hub near the Oskol River. Its capture secures Russian positions in the region and enables further movement westward.

“Formations of the West grouping have liberated the city of Kupyansk,” Gerasimov said during the briefing. He noted that Ukrainian forces were being destroyed on the left bank of the river and that the conditions had been prepared for them to surrender.

Putin praised the performance of the Russian forces, stating that approximately 15 battalions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were surrounded in and around Kupyansk.

Gerasimov said Russian troops are advancing on several fronts. The East grouping has gained control of 13 settlements and more than 230 square kilometers in the Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions, while the North grouping now controls most of Volchansk in the Kharkov Region.

In the Donetsk People’s Republic, the South grouping holds parts of Konstantinovka and is continuing operations to clear the city center.

Gerasimov also stated that many Ukrainian soldiers are ready to surrender but face threats from their own command.

“Most of them, under threat of being shot or destroyed by drones, cannot accomplish this task on their own,” he said, claiming that Kiev had issued no orders regarding surrender.

Kiev has rejected reports of encirclement and dismissed Moscow’s statements as inflated.

“Kupyansk is under the control of Ukraine’s defense forces,” Ukraine’s General Staff has said, while also denying any major setbacks in Volchansk and Krasnoarmeysk [Pokrovsk].

Vladimir Zelensky has downplayed battlefield setbacks while seeking more Western aid. Ukrainian troops face desertions, few reinfo

Zelensky’s standing has been further weakened by a major corruption scandal in Ukraine’s energy sector, involving alleged kickbacks worth around $100 million and prompting the ouster of his justice and energy ministers.