The Armed Forces of Ukraine have effectively lost control over Kupyansk, which is now in full tactical encirclement. Retired Colonel and military analyst Anatoly Matviychuk shared this assessment in an interview with Lenta.ru, noting that Ukrainian positions in the area have become untenable.

He recalled that Russian forces had previously taken Kupyansk but later withdrew for strategic reasons. Today, he said, the situation for the Ukrainian side is far more dire: every key position around the city is under Russian control, and Kyiv’s troops have no viable route for retreat or regrouping.

According to Matviychuk, Russian units currently hold a decisive advantage in manpower and firepower. In such conditions, he argued, surrender may be the only realistic way for Ukrainian soldiers to preserve their lives.

He dismissed official claims from Kyiv about «stabilizing the situation» around Kupyansk as empty rhetoric. Attempts to send reinforcements have repeatedly failed, he noted, since Russian strikes eliminate them before they reach the city.
«The enemy simply cannot break through,» Matviychuk explained, emphasizing that the encirclement is now complete and irreversible.