Russia seeks to capture Kupiansk as it has amassed troops nearby and operates in small groups, Ukrainian forces say

The situation on the Kupiansk front remains tense. Russian forces are aiming to capture the city of Kupiansk and have amassed assets and personnel near the villages of Radkivka and Holubivka. They are operating in small assault groups.

Source: 10th Army Corps of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Telegram

Quote from the 10th Army Corps: "The city is a strategic target for the enemy. The occupiers have amassed forces near Radkivka and Holubivka; a gas pipeline has been damaged and flooded. There have been attempts to cross the Oskil River by boat, but most have been destroyed by artillery, mortars and first-person view drones."

Details: The 10th Army Corps said that the Russians are operating in small infantry groups, often in civilian clothing, thereby committing a war crime.

"Our soldiers are conducting counter-sabotage measures, blocking and destroying the enemy in forests, dacha areas and on the outskirts of the city. Prisoners testify to the lack of clear combat order among the Russians," the Ukrainian forces said. [A dacha is a seasonal secondary residence, usually with a little plot of land, where people grow vegetables, fruit trees and berries or keep a garden – ed.]

The Ukrainian Armed Forces noted that fighting is actually taking place in the area that the Russians call "controlled", as Ukrainian assault groups are engaged there.

"The fighting is dynamic – it is premature to spread claims about their 'complete control'. The struggle continues. Believe in the Armed Forces of Ukraine!" the 10th Army Corps concluded. 

Background:

• On 17 September, DeepState, a Ukrainian group of military analysts, reported that Russian troops had advanced in the Kupiansk district of Kharkiv Oblast and near the settlement of Novoivanivka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
• On 13 September, Ukraine's General Staff stated that Ukrainian forces are in control of the situation in Kupiansk, the surrounding areas and a key pipeline that Russian troops may have attempted to use to infiltrate the city.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!