Russian forces have taken control of the strategic city of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region of eastern Ukraine. Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, confirmed that units from the Zapad (West) group have captured the city and are continuing to eliminate Ukrainian forces trapped on the left bank of the Oskol River. Gerasimov also reported ongoing advances in Krasnoarmeysk, another key city in eastern Ukraine, noting that over 75 per cent of its territory is now under Russian control.
Kupyansk, a vital logistics hub and defence stronghold for Ukrainian forces in the Kharkiv region, was retaken by Kyiv in September after falling to Russian troops on the first day of the 2022 offensive. However, in recent months, Ukraine’s forces have been pushed back along the front lines. Since the start of November, Russian troops have captured 13 villages, six in the Dnipropetrovsk region and seven in the Zaporizhzhia region, further consolidating their gains in the east.
