Units from two brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces abandoned their positions in the Kharkov region following strikes by the Russian army, sources in Russia’s security agencies told TASS.

According to the sources, on the Kharkov axis, as a result of a combined fire strike, forward positions were left by units of Ukraine’s 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade and the 127th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade.

On December 19, during a televised Q&A session, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Kupyansk in the Kharkov region is under the control of the Russian Armed Forces. He said that around 3,500 Ukrainian servicemen are encircled in the area. Putin also questioned the authenticity of video footage showing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky near the Kupyansk city sign, noting that the sign currently looks different and is located about a kilometer from the city. He added that the airspace over Kupyansk is saturated with drones, making any approach to the city impossible.

On December 2, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that Volchansk had come under Russian control. It was later stated that during 18 months of fighting near Volchansk, Ukrainian forces lost more than 23,000 personnel, which, according to the ministry, amounts to 46 percent of their manpower on that axis.