Heavy fighting continues in Ukrainian city Kupiansk as Russia advances

Kupiansk

In Kupiansk, the enemy is attempting to advance toward the central part of the city from the north and west, aiming to reach the R07 road (Kupiansk–Chuhuiv), which holds operational and tactical significance for the grouping of forces in this area.

The tactics of the Russian forces' offensive are almost identical to their actions in the Pokrovsk agglomeration. According to estimates from several RBC-Ukraine sources, approximately 70 Russian soldiers are believed to be present in the city.

The head of communications for the Joint Forces Group, Viktor Tregubov, told the outlet that both Russian units are currently present in the northern districts of Kupiansk, while Ukrainian troops are in other neighborhoods, with both sides attempting to conduct operations to gain control of the city.

"The particularity of this place is that logistics to it are complicated for both sides — for the Russians and for us," Viktor Tregubov, head of communications for the Joint Forces Group, told RBC-Ukraine.

According to him, the fighting in Kupiansk is mostly being carried out by small infantry groups under conditions of a large number of drones in the air, difficulties with resupply, and even the delivery of certain types of ammunition.

Moscow's strategy

To address supply problems for the units that have advanced to the right bank of the Oskil River, the enemy is attempting to expand its bridgehead by advancing from the direction of Dvorichna and from border areas.

In the summer, the enemy entered the settlement of Milove from Russia's Belgorod region and later expanded its control zone eastward to Boholivka, linking it with its positions along the border in the Kupiansk direction.

"In fact, they tried to create along the border a so-called sanitary zone; it is not wide, a few kilometers. But they sought to enter Ukrainian territory directly, and they partially succeeded. However, there is no significant advance there. From a strategic perspective, it cannot be said that this is a major gain. Although it is unpleasant, and even more concerning is that they continue to try to press forward, specifically in the Velykoburluk direction. On the other hand, our military is also offering active resistance there," Tregubov said.

The enemy's goal in the Kupiansk direction is to push Ukrainian units from the left bank of the Oskil River, seize the Borova–Izium–Sviatohirsk–Lyman bridgehead, and create a flanking threat for an offensive on Sloviansk, similar to its plans in 2022.

RBC-Ukraine's sources state that the deadlines set by Moscow for the Russian army to implement this plan are the end of 2025. Although the Russians may manage to advance in some areas over the next two months, capturing the entire territory within the timeframe they have set is not a realistic expectation.

Fighting for Kupiansk

In early September, Russian forces managed to advance toward Kupiansk using a pipeline. As a result, the situation around the city significantly escalated — enemy sabotage groups penetrated the area from the north.

A few days after Russian forces began using the gas pipeline to advance, Ukrainian defenders blew it up. This complicated the enemy's operations — Russian forces now had to cross the Oskil River by boat and raft.

Last week, Russian media reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin had allegedly been informed of an encirclement of Ukrainian forces in Kupiansk.

The head of communications for the Joint Forces Group, Viktor Tregubov, denied this information, stressing that rumors of an encirclement do not correspond to reality. According to him, Russian troops are trying to advance toward the city center from the north and are attempting to outflank it.

Recently, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine plans to fully clear Kupiansk of Russian troops.