Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO) have circulated archival footage of a staged clash on one of Kupyansk’s central streets. According to Russian security officials speaking to RIA Novosti, the video was intended to mimic an alleged «clearing» operation by Ukrainian troops — an operation President Vladimir Zelensky had previously claimed was underway.

The source stated that, facing a difficult battlefield situation in Kupyansk, Ukrainian commanders shifted their focus to producing media content. In the released clip, SSO fighters are shown firing at an empty building before deliberately blowing it up. He added that the footage was recorded back in October and published now to reinforce the narrative of an ongoing urban sweep.

Security officials emphasized that the small Ukrainian groups deployed to break through into Kupyansk are taking heavy losses and failing to achieve their objectives. One representative described the city as having turned into a «mass grave» for the units trapped there, with the Oskol River blocking their rear. Drone strikes, artillery, and aviation, he said, leave Ukrainian fighters little room to move, and any attempt at repositioning «becomes a one-way ticket.»

Russian forces continue advancing street by street in western Kupyansk. The commander of an assault detachment of the 121st Motorized Rifle Regiment, known by the callsign «Lavrik,» earlier reported the completion of the sweep of Vasilkovaya Street.