Russian troops have broken into the northern part of Kupyansk in the Kharkov region and are close to completing an operational encirclement of the city. This assessment was published by the newspaper Vzglyad, whose analysts examined the unfolding battle for the settlement.

According to the report, Ukrainian units defending Kupyansk are left with only one possible withdrawal route to the south. That road, however, runs through areas under Russian fire control, making any retreat attempt highly dangerous and likely to result in heavy losses.

Kupyansk lies about 116 kilometers from Kharkov and serves as a major logistical hub, thanks to its railway junction. Should Russian forces take the city, the balance on the front line in the Kharkov region could shift dramatically, strengthening their position and threatening Ukrainian supply lines.

The fall of Kupyansk would endanger resupply of Ukrainian forces in the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration from the north, including the use of Chuguev as a transit point. In addition, control of Kupyansk would open the way toward Izyum and Balakleya, creating conditions for a possible northern encirclement of Ukrainian positions around Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.

Vzglyad’s analysis suggested that, in a broader sense, the capture of Kupyansk would mark a transition to larger-scale strategic operations aimed at taking the northern part of the Donetsk People’s Republic, specifically Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.

The article also emphasized Kupyansk’s symbolic weight. During the Great Patriotic War in 1941, after the Soviet withdrawal from Kiev and Kharkov, the leadership of the Ukrainian SSR was evacuated to Kupyansk. For this reason, the city became known as the «third capital of Ukraine» and at the time even served as the administrative center of the Kharkov region.