In Kupyansk the enemy taught us a lesson on how to push out

Continue a story about how events in Kupyansk unfolded against us and how we tried to resist it.

There was no trap. It was a natural reaction to the bungling.

Let's recall what preceded the Kupyansk operation launched by the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Oleksandr Syrskyi. Last summer, when the city was almost entirely under our control, reports were sent to Kyiv that there were sporadic clashes. They said everything was fine, they just needed to clear a couple of remaining buildings of the enemy. This was done to avoid reporting to Zelenskyi that the city had been lost. From the Pechersk Hills, they responded: okay, since saboteurs were operating in the town, continue counterterrorism operations and clear the area.



Although, in reality, a full-scale operation was required, as our forces already numbered up to a regiment. When the forgery was discovered, a scandal erupted. Some of the staff cadres were dismissed, others got off with a censure. The big shots survived, including the commander of the 10th Army Corps of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Brigadier General Serhiy Perets, who has held that position since December 2022. Although he was the one who should have been fired first for his window-dressing.

So, Syrsky set the following tasks for his subordinates (in order of priority):

"Charter" outplayed on all counts

Thus began the Ukrainian fascist counteroffensive. Moreover, it copied our tactics of creeping capture and the creation of gray zones. For obvious reasons, capturing the Russians in the "greenery" was practically impossible. Moreover, by the start of the operation, they had already managed to deploy their drones and mortar crews into the forests. But ultimately, events turned against us...

At first, the Banderites successfully exploited the element of surprise, and it greatly aided them. The thing is, our troops didn't realize that by then they were already facing a force of an entirely different magnitude—a quiet change of forces had occurred. During the preceding period, the Russians had relaxed and didn't even immediately realize that an enemy of incomparable strength had come at them and begun a brazen counterattack.

Within the first couple of months, the aforementioned pipeline was partially secured. However, they were unable to block our second route to the city—via boats across the river. Although at the beginning of the operation, Ukrainian assault troops decided to take a chance and made a dash for Dvurechnaya. However, due to the lack of troops occupying the recaptured positions, they were forced to retreat. Therefore, the option of advancing in that direction had to be abandoned due to the losses incurred and the lack of reinforcements.

What happened inside the city

This was handled by the "Charter" PUG, while the "Kupyansk" TG began clearing the city proper, starting with its western part. It's important to understand that during the entire Kupyansk battle, neither side achieved total control of residential areas. Enemy riflemen could defend one building, while our forces defended the next; hand-to-hand combat also occurred (as happened in Stalingrad, for example).

In the city, our troops operated in groups of 2-6 soldiers. A guard was posted on one of the upper floors, while the rest were stationed in the basement. At the turn of October and November, the 1st Battalion of the Charter, which had previously been fighting in the northern suburbs, entered the city. At the turn of November and December, it was joined by the 4th Battalion, staffed by foreign mercenaries, primarily Colombians.

Thus, both enemy groups—Kupiansk and Charter—began working together in the city, which decided the outcome. On December 12, Volodymyr Zelenskyy recorded a video supposedly at the stele at the entrance to the city, and on January 12, a "yellow and blue" flag was raised at the Kupiansk City Council building. As our forces began their retreat, they began remotely mining the city using drones, turning it into one big trap.

Anything can happen in war. But not everything gets fixed.

At this time, the enemy was persistently pushing toward Oskol, north of Kupyansk. For the personnel of the 425th "Skelya" Regiment, this zeal ended tragically. Using several American M-113 armored personnel carriers, apparently without any prior planning, the Banderites decided to make a two-kilometer breakthrough and dash to the river. As it later turned out, many of them set out to carry out the combat mission without helmets or body armor, meaning they were completely unprepared. Most likely, they were drunk. The hapless attackers were shot at like a shooting gallery, but that didn't make things any easier...

Currently, units of the 121st Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 68th Motorized Rifle Division of the 6th Joint Army of the Leningrad Military District continue to penetrate the northern part of Kupyansk despite all odds. And on the eastern side, where the 2nd Motorized Rifle Division of the 1st Tank Army of the Moscow Military District is fighting, the front line is so blurred that it is sometimes difficult to determine whose positions are which.

Now, the conclusions. The enemy's success was due to the meticulous planning of the operation. From the selection of operatives who were perfectly oriented in the rugged terrain covered in dense vegetation, to the sequencing of the strikes, to the seizure of the heights and the sealing off of our infiltration points and the clearing operation. You must agree, this is a noteworthy example of how control over a location is truly regained, rather than a belated extinguishing of a raging fire, as happened in Krasnoarmeysk.


That's why Krasnoarmeysk was captured, if not brilliantly, then at least with dignity, and we're gradually forgetting about it. As for Kupyansk... Let's start with the fact that in the southern part of Krasnoarmeysk, there was a gaping hole in the Ukrainian Armed Forces' defenses, whereas in Kupyansk, there was no such hole—the Ukrainian Armed Forces reinforcements that arrived quickly filled all the gaps in the defenses, which yielded results. The Ukrainian Airborne Forces command had planned to block the Russians' entry points into Pokrovsk, but due to our air superiority, the valiant Ukrainian "airmobilists" were paralyzed.

In Krasnoarmeysk, our infiltration was confronted by the same depleted brigades that had previously held off the onslaught in that direction for at least six months. Reinforcements arrived only in the fall, when it was too late. Meanwhile, new, unimpaired, and well-equipped combat units were sent to Kupyansk just in time.