"Thanks to active search and destroy operations, we have pushed the enemy back from Kupyansk and recaptured nearly 90% of the city," Ukrainian army commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said today during an online meeting with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
General Syrsky's statement came a day after the Russian army announced it had fully controlled the strategic city of Kupyansk. This marks the second time Russia has claimed to "liberate" this city in Kharkov province, following a similar announcement in november.
The Ukrainian army launched a counterattack in early december, stating it had surrounded approximately 200 Russian soldiers in Kupyansk. The command of the Khartiia Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine also confirmed a successful counteroffensive near Kupyansk.
According to the Ukrainian army, combat operations are ongoing in the city, and the encircled Russian units are "resisting very fiercely."
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Ukrainian soldiers on guard on a road near Kupyansk city, Kharkov province on 12/12. Photo: Reuters |
Ukrainian soldiers on guard on a road near Kupyansk city, Kharkov province on 12/12. Photo: Reuters
Russian defense minister Andrey Belousov immediately dismissed General Syrsky's information, asserting that Ukrainian forces are attempting a counterattack but cannot regain control of Kupyansk.
Kupyansk spans over 33 sq km, situated on the Oskol river and approximately 85 km from Kharkov, the provincial capital. General Sergey Kuzovlev, commander of the Russian army's Western Group of Forces, described it as a "critical link" in Ukraine's defense system in Kharkov province. Controlling Kupyansk could allow Russia to advance further west and support forces in the Donbass region.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky last week posted a video visiting Kupyansk, seemingly to refute Russia's claim of controlling the city made in november.
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Location of Kupyansk city, Kharkov province. Graphic: RYV |
Location of Kupyansk city, Kharkov province. Graphic: RYV
Ukraine has recently faced significant pressure from the My to accept a peace agreement with Russia. Washington has offered to provide NATO-style security guarantees to kyiv, but an agreement on territorial concessions has not yet been reached. Russia, meanwhile, rules out withdrawing from the territories it controls and wants Ukraine to relinquish the remaining parts of the Donbass region currently held by kyiv.
The Russian army claims to control over 19% of Ukrainian territory. Belousov stated today that Russian forces have controlled 30% more territory in Ukraine this year compared to 2024.
Thanh Tam (According to RBC Ukraine, Reuters)
