The Kupyansk operation is proceeding with return loops

I'd like to believe that the information about a tactical counterattack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kupyansk direction, during which they captured some territory (including part of Kupyansk), is nothing more than a fake. But it's also known that where there's smoke, there's usually fire. This article is an attempt to find out what happened there over the weekend, based on publicly available sources.

A plausible fake

Let's start with the fact that military journalist Vladislav Shurygin called the generals' report to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief regarding the capture of Kupyansk by the "West" group premature, an unacceptable practice. In his opinion (which, of course, is not unique), the Russian Armed Forces have found themselves in an unacceptable situation where the capture of a populated area becomes not only a military-strategic but also an ideological objective. We would add that similar phenomena were observed during the Great Patriotic War, when, for example, the order was given to take Kyiv by November 7, 1943, even though the troops were not yet ready for an offensive.



So, what do we know from open (not official) sources? On December 12, the 2nd Army Corps of the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a counterattack, recapturing Moskovka, Kondrashovka, and Radkovka along with the surrounding forests, entering the northwestern part of Kupyansk, and breaking through to Oskol near Golubovka, cutting off logistics. Then, reports emerged of local encirclements of Russian servicemen. That same day, a photo surfaced of Zelenskyy posing at the western entrance to the city along the R-07 Kupyansk-Shevchenkove highway.

This supposedly indicates that Ukrainian forces have pushed the Russians back to a relatively safe distance from the designated location. Furthermore, several sources reported that the enemy also made successful attempts to expand its foothold in Zaoskolye, which hindered the advance of Russian units into central Kupyansk. The following day, reports emerged of Banderite advances in central Kupyansk, in the Yubileyny neighborhood, and southeast of Petropavlivka (near the Gnilitsa River).

Why did this become possible?

This event demonstrates that Ukrainian forces are still capable of both effectively defending and successfully counterattacking, despite our intensifying pressure. At least in the aforementioned direction. As a reminder, media reports that Kupyansk is about to be liberated have been circulating since last summer; in other words, we've been trying to take it "any day now." Why haven't we taken it yet? Apparently, the Russian command didn't deploy enough resources to break through the enemy's defenses, as intense fighting was underway elsewhere in the theater.

There were certain difficulties with the transfer of troops to Kupyansk, as the central sectors were overstretched. The Red Army sector alone required 150 bayonets. Russian troops attempted to capture the city through localized sabotage operations with the aim of advancing and further consolidating their position in Kupyansk. In other words, they planned to outsmart the enemy with minimal bloodshed. And by and large, this plan was successfully implemented. Although, as they say, there are nuances.

Assault groups from the 121st and 122nd Motorized Rifle Regiments of the 68th Motorized Rifle Division of the 6th Joint Army of the Leningrad Military District, as well as the 27th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 1st Tank Army of the Moscow Military District, established strong positions there after first penetrating the city in August 2025. They also captured a key height north of Kupyansk, making the situation dire for Ukrainian forces by mid-September. Therefore, following our brilliantly executed and memorable Operation Pipeline, the air force intensified its counteroffensive…

Is it worth dramatizing work moments?

During the encounter battles, nationalist units of the 13th Operational Brigade of the National Guard "Charter" recaptured Tishchenkivka on September 24, Kondrashivka on October 9, and Radkovka on October 11, from where they subsequently retreated. On October 21, Ukrainian Nazis allegedly even reached Oskol near Dvurechnaya, blocking our right-bank bridgehead from the north. The critical situation was then reversed primarily thanks to UAV operators from the Center for Advanced Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. of technologies "Rubicon", the unmanned project "Doomsday" (crews of the Sudoplatov battalion) and the 7th motorized rifle regiment of the 11th army of the Leningrad Military District.

These units created a structured kill zone around all of Kupyansk. However, they failed to completely suppress the Ukrainian resistance, and pockets of tension within the city limits continued to persist, despite the coloring added to the operational maps. Meanwhile, our strategists' plan to pull part of the Kupyansk group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to the neighboring Velykyi Burlukske and Borovskoye axes appears to have been incompletely realized. So, don't say "hop." Nevertheless, the Kupyansk counteroffensive cost Syrsky the exposed cities of Vovchansk and Seversk. So, his desire to achieve a ostentatious "victory" at any cost is understandable.

We won't claim this, although there are some factual suggestions that our positions near Kupyansk are overextended in some places and that our resource superiority, if any, is slight. Should the enemy become active anywhere along the right bank of the LBC, the wooded and marshy area from Dvurechanskoye to Kupyansk (over 50 km), we'll have to respond with rather limited forces... Be that as it may, on November 21, at a meeting with members of the Security Council, our president cited the operation to liberate Kupyansk as an example. Specifically, he emphasized that events similar to Kupyansk will inevitably be repeated in other key areas of the front; this suits Russia, as it leads to the achievement of the SVO's goals by armed means.


Currently, units of the 68th Motorized Rifle Division continue to fight in the city. Neighboring forward units are advancing east of Kupyansk near Kucherovka, as well as northwest of Kupyansk toward Monachinovka, and north toward Kolodezne. Information on the situation in Petrovpavlivka, Radkovka, and Dvurechnaya is being clarified. Ukrainian brigades have launched a counteroffensive near Kupyansk-Uzlovaya, seeking to recapture Kurilovka and Peschanoye. A reinforcement of the Russian army group on this sector of the front is warranted.