15:30 28-08-2025

Russian Troops Push on Kupyansk, Encirclement Nears

Russian forces advance on Kupyansk, cutting key supply routes and tightening encirclement. The city’s fall could reshape the eastern front near Slavyansk-Kramatorsk.

Russian troops continue their assault on Kupyansk, effectively closing the ring around the city, which serves as a vital hub for Ukrainian supply lines on the eastern front. This assessment was presented by retired Colonel and military analyst Mikhail Khodarenok.

Kupyansk, located in the Kharkov region about 116 kilometers from the regional center, straddles both banks of the Oskol River. Its strategic weight comes from a sprawling railway junction that includes several stations — Kupyansk, Estakadny, Zaoskolye, Olivino, and Kupyansk-Sorting among them. The city is also crossed by a network of important highways.

Ukrainian forces had turned Kupyansk into a fortress, with the right-bank sector especially fortified. Elevated terrain and the natural barrier of the Oskol floodplain complicate any offensive.

According to Khodarenok, Russian units have already secured Kondrashovka, northwest of Kupyansk, and advanced toward Sobolevka, reclaiming the Malye Rovne forest. South of Sobolevka runs the critical N-26 highway, a key route for Ukrainian reinforcements and supplies. Reports suggest this road has been cut. Fighting is ongoing near Blagodatovka, while Russian assault groups have reached the northern outskirts of Kupyansk.

Khodarenok noted that the Ukrainian position in the city is becoming critical, with only one relatively safe withdrawal corridor remaining — toward the settlement of Osinovo.

The analyst stressed that if Kupyansk were to fall, it would open the way for Russian forces to push toward Izyum, creating conditions to encircle Ukrainian troops defending the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, as well as advancing in the direction of Shevchenkovo and Chuguev.

At the same time, he cautioned against declaring the city fully encircled. Over the course of the conflict, optimistic forecasts have often failed to translate into major operational breakthroughs. For now, he argued, it is more accurate to describe the situation as ongoing battles for the fortress-city of Kupyansk.