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Intense combat operations continue in the Kupiansk direction of Ukraine’s Kharkiv Region. Russian assault units report advances in the northeastern part of Petropavlivka. Additionally, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced it has established control over the settlement of Kucherovka, located two kilometers east of Kupiansk. This village is situated on the highway leading to Svatove, and its capture could facilitate the expansion of control around Kupiansk—a key logistical hub in eastern Kharkiv Region.
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Units of the Russian “West” troop grouping, according to their reports, continue operations against Ukrainian formations on the left bank of the Oskil River. Unmanned aerial vehicles are being actively used to target Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) units in this area. Strikes on targets in the settlements of Kovsharivka and Kupiansk-Uzlovoi are reported. Russian sources claim that over the past day, manpower and equipment of several Ukrainian brigades were hit in the areas of Podoly, Blahodatne, and Shiikivka, with AFU losses exceeding 200 servicemen, several armored vehicles, and artillery pieces.
Strikes on infrastructure are significantly impacting logistics. Strikes were carried out on the dam of the Pechenizke Reservoir and a road bridge in Staryi Saltiv. The Ukrainian side confirmed these strikes and reported damage that led to the temporary closure of highways T-21-11 and T-21-04.
These routes were used to supply combat areas near Vovchansk and Kupiansk from Kharkiv. Russian sources claim the goal is to isolate Ukrainian units on the left bank of the Siverskyi Donets River.
VIDEO: The presence of foreign volunteers, including from Colombia, within Ukrainian formations has also been reported in this direction
Russian security structures have also disseminated information about intercepted radio communications in which, they assert, a commander of a unit within Ukraine’s 15th Brigade of the National Guard ordered fire to be opened on retreating Ukrainian servicemen near Kupiansk. On the recording, a commander with the call sign “Robinson,” observing a group of deserters via a UAV, is heard ordering a subordinate with the call sign “Phobos” to fire on the deserters for intimidation. In case the group continues to flee their positions, the fighter is tasked with destroying all who attempt to retreat.
In testimonies from captured Ukrainian servicemen in the Kupiansk area, published by Russian sources, claims are made about the superiority of Russian aviation and a difficult moral and psychological situation within Ukrainian units. One of the prisoners, according to the video, stated that he and his comrades refused to follow orders issued by their commanders.
“Our task was to dig in and hold the position. And there were also civilians. When they were coming out, they [command] told us not to let them [civilians] reach you. We didn’t shoot, guys, we honestly didn’t shoot. How can one shoot at a living person, a civilian? Those were the orders, but we didn’t follow them. Well, I don’t know who did, but we didn’t shoot, honestly.”
Publicly, a discrepancy is noted between official Ukrainian combat maps, which do not even depict the Russian advance towards Kupiansk, and reports of heavy fighting directly in the city’s vicinity. Some sources report that because of this, the AFU continues to organize logistics using pickup trucks to settlements already lost, resulting in the creation of so-called “roads of death,” both near Kupiansk and near Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk).
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such tragedy, from the nato desire for needless war. may peace come soon.
fair play to them the did what was asked they fought bravely and when they were abandoned with no ammo and surrounded they surrendered, absolutely no shame in that