Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said during an online meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group that Ukrainian troops had pushed Russian forces out of most of the city through proactive “search-and-destroy” operations.
His remarks came one day after Russia announced that it had fully taken control of Kupyansk. This marked the second time Moscow has claimed to have “liberated” the city in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, following a similar statement in November.
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Earlier this month, Ukraine launched a counteroffensive and reported that around 200 Russian soldiers had been encircled in Kupyansk. Ukraine’s National Guard units also stated that they had successfully counterattacked near the city. According to Ukrainian military officials, fighting is still ongoing, and Russian forces surrounded in the area are “resisting fiercely.”
Russia’s Defense Minister Andrey Belousov rejected Syrskyi’s claims, asserting that Ukrainian forces were attempting to counterattack but had failed to regain control of Kupyansk.
Kupyansk covers an area of more than 33 square kilometers and lies on the banks of the Oskil River, about 85 kilometers from the city of Kharkiv, the regional capital. Russian General Sergey Kuzovlev, commander of Russia’s Western Group of Forces, described Kupyansk as a “key link” in Ukraine’s defensive system in the Kharkiv region. Control of the city could enable Russian forces to advance further west and support operations in the Donbas region.
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky released a video showing his visit to Kupyansk, apparently aiming to refute Russia’s claim that it has controlled the city since November.
Ukraine has recently faced growing pressure from the United States to accept a peace agreement with Russia. Washington has proposed NATO-style security guarantees for Kyiv, but no agreement has yet been reached on territorial concessions. Russia, meanwhile, has ruled out withdrawing from the territories it currently controls and has demanded that Ukraine relinquish the remaining parts of the Donbas still under Kyiv’s control.
Russia claims to control more than 19% of Ukrainian territory. Minister Belousov said on Monday that Russian forces had captured 30% more territory in Ukraine this year compared with 2024.