Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Away from formal statements, unusually candid assessments from pro-Russian commentators are adding to the picture of mounting pressure in the area.
Ukrainian military officials say their forces are pressing counterattacks in the Kupyansk direction while avoiding tactics that could lead to prolonged street fighting.
Ukrainian Joint Forces Group spokesperson Colonel Viktor Trehubov said yesterday, that Ukrainian troops are carrying out systematic clearing operations rather than engaging in dense urban combat.
Trehubov said Russian units remaining inside Kupyansk number roughly 100 to 200 personnel and are being resupplied primarily by unmanned aerial vehicles. He indicated that this method poses challenges for Russian forces because drones can carry only limited payloads and cannot safely reach all areas.
The spokesperson also noted that supply drops have at times exposed Russian positions, complicating their ability to remain concealed as Ukrainian forces advance.
Positions under pressure
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a non-commissioned officer from a Ukrainian brigade operating near Kupyansk reported that several nearby settlements and forested areas have been retaken.
He said elements of his unit are now active in the northern part of the city.
The officer added that Russian forces have attempted to move reinforcements through a gas pipeline but that Ukrainian troops have blocked it and placed surrounding exit points under fire control.
Geolocated footage released on December 14 and 15 appears to show that Russian forces no longer hold positions in Petropavlivka, east of Kupyansk, despite claims to the contrary from Russian sources, ISW reports.
These developments suggest that Ukrainian advances are reshaping the tactical map around the city.
Rare admissions emerge
Russian ultranationalist military bloggers have increasingly acknowledged setbacks.
Several reported that while Russian troops may still hold isolated positions in northern and central Kupyansk, much of the city is either contested or under Ukrainian control.
According to ISW, one blogger said the situation in western Kupyansk is rapidly deteriorating, describing units of Russia’s 68th Motorized Rifle Division as struggling to hold ground amid Ukrainian advances toward Kupyansk and nearby Myrove.
The same accounts conceded that Russian forces no longer enjoy manpower superiority in the area and that Ukrainian interdiction has forced Russian drone operators to pull back to the eastern bank of the Oskil River.
ISW analysts note that these admissions contrast with broader Kremlin messaging portraying Ukrainian defenses as close to collapse, a narrative increasingly challenged by events around Kupyansk.
Sources: Armyinform, Institute for the Study of War, Ukrainian Joint Forces Group
