Ukrainian forces push Russians back to northern outskirts of Kupiansk and derail Russia's plans
Ukraine's defence forces have pushed Russian units back to the northern outskirts of Kupiansk, disrupted their supply lines and created an effective kill zone around the city, although Russian propaganda continues to claim that the city has supposedly been "taken".
Source: Ukrinform, a Ukrainian news agency, citing Lieutenant Colonel Viktor Trehubov, the head of communications for the Joint Forces grouping, speaking on air
Details: Trehubov said that Kupiansk has long been a key element in Russia's propaganda narratives, with Kremlin commanders trying to present the situation as a victory and publicly talking about the alleged capture of the city and encirclement of Ukrainian units as early as the start of November.
He stressed that these claims did not reflect the real situation on the ground, as Ukrainian forces were at that time steadily pushing Russian troops into the northern outskirts of the city, cutting their supply routes and systematically killing Russian units, effectively creating a trap for them.
Trehubov said that Russian commanders are now unable to effectively move reinforcements to the Kupiansk area.
Quote: "We have managed to create a fairly effective kill zone around the city and to kill those trying to crawl forward with the help of UAVs. However, no matter how many reinforcements they commit, they still have to cross an open ground – and the drone does not care how many of them are crawling there."
More details: Trehubov separately commented on the situation in the city of Vovchansk, saying that the city has been almost completely destroyed, with a large part of it under Russian control, while Ukrainian units are holding the southern part of the settlement.
Background:
- On 20 November, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reported that work continues to identify Russian soldiers who have "infiltrated through our defences" in Kupiansk.
- Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin claimed on the evening of 21 November that Russian forces have fully captured the city of Kupiansk and warned Ukraine that the situation there could supposedly be repeated elsewhere. This claim has been denied by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Russia has not conducted any successful offensive operations on the front lines in recent weeks. "For instance, our troops have had greater success on the Kupiansk front. Although Russia claims it has captured Kupiansk, we have almost completely cleared the city of their forces," said Zelenskyy.
- On 2 December, Oleksandr Syrskyi said that Ukrainian forces have significantly improved their tactical position in the city of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast.
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