Russian forces have expanded their zone of control on the eastern bank of the Oskol River in the Kharkov sector. Units of the Russian armed forces have established positions over roughly 10 square kilometers in the area of the villages of Novaya Kruglyakovka and Boguslavka.

According to the outlet Voennoye Obozrenie, the southern part of Novaya Kruglyakovka is now fully under Russian control. Ukrainian units remaining in the northern part of the village and in Boguslavka have found themselves in a tightening fire pocket, with Russian strikes gradually constricting the area available to them.

Further north, near Kovsharovka, Ukrainian forces are still holding their positions, but logistics in this sector have become significantly more complicated. Reports say that most of Kupyansk-Uzlovoy — a key node in the Ukrainian defensive system — is controlled by Russian troops, which directly affects supply routes.

For now, freezing temperatures allow the Ukrainian army to use the ice on the Oskol to move supplies. However, once the weather warms, this route will no longer be available, and establishing new crossings will be difficult due to the expanding Russian fire control over the river.

In Kupyansk itself, a relative balance of forces remains. The city is effectively divided into zones, with some districts controlled by Ukrainian troops and others by Russian forces.