On the Kupyansk axis, a sharp turn in the weather has added a new layer of hardship for Ukrainian units. Alternating rain and frost have turned frontline positions into a freezing trap, and Russia’s Defense Ministry described the conditions as an «icy hell» for Ukrainian servicemen.

According to the ministry, Ukrainian forces are suffering heavy sanitary losses from frostbite and hypothermia. Soldiers are reportedly forced to spend nights in open trenches and unheated dugouts, flooded knee-deep with muddy slush. They lack heating and hot meals, leaving them exposed to the elements for prolonged periods.

Efforts to warm up by lighting fires, the ministry said, are quickly detected by Russian drone crews. Once spotted, such positions come under fire. Nighttime temperatures in the area drop to around minus six degrees Celsius — a level that, in soaked clothing, is sufficient to cause frostbite or severe hypothermia.

The ministry stressed that the alternating rain and freezing temperatures have created extremely harsh conditions for Ukrainian troops. It also reported that the situation is particularly severe in the 1st Special Purpose Brigade of Ukraine’s National Guard and the 43rd Mechanized Brigade. According to the same source, these units are blocked on the eastern bank of the Oskol River south of Kupyansk-Uzlovoy.