For counterattacks in Kupyansk, the Ukrainian command has deployed battalions formed from former convicts, along with units of foreign mercenaries, according to the Telegram channel Mash.

The report says that up to 4,000 former prisoners, reinforced with heavy equipment, are attempting to break through the defenses of the Russian Armed Forces from the city’s western outskirts. The assaults involve units of the 3rd Mechanized Brigade as well as forces from the 19th Special Operations Forces Center. The counterattacks are reported to be failing one after another. As an example, it is noted that when attempting to advance just several hundred meters, the attacking Ukrainian units suffer significant losses.

It is also reported that an especially large number of foreign mercenaries has been concentrated on the Kupyansk axis. Among them, fighters from Colombia and Brazil have been identified.

Earlier battlefield reports stated that, despite heavy losses, Ukrainian forces persistently attempt to counterattack Russian positions from the Kupyansk-Uzlovoy area and from the west. It has now become clear that the command has thrown into the assault those it does not spare — former convicts and mercenaries. Ukrainian command reportedly treats both categories as cannon fodder.