Russian state media and representatives of the Russian army claim that the situation in the city of Kupyansk is fully under the control of Russian troops, but these claims cannot be independently confirmed at this time.
According to TASS, the head of the press center of the group of troops "West" Leonid Sharov stated that all areas of Kupyansk are under the control of the Russian armed forces and that the city is under the control of the 6th combined arms army. According to the Russian side, the units of the group "West" repel attacks by Ukrainian forces in the areas of Tishchenkovka, Moskovka and Sobolevka, retaining control over the settlements.
The reports also claim that Ukrainian units are trying to penetrate Kupyansk in small groups daily through the cemetery, suffering "significant losses", and that drone strikes and artillery have hit a group of Colombian mercenaries in the area of the city. According to Russian sources, remnants of Ukrainian units were blocked in two buildings in the "Yubileyny" neighborhood, and "their liquidation is expected in the near future".
TASS also quotes a former employee of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasily Prozorov, who casts doubt on the authenticity of a video address by President Volodymyr Zelensky published on December 12, which was allegedly filmed in Kupyansk. According to him, the recording may have been made earlier or manipulated, as evidenced by alleged discrepancies between the footage and the current state of the place. And these claims cannot be independently confirmed.
The Russian side accuses Ukraine of spreading misleading information about the situation around Kupyansk in order to put pressure on the United States and influence the discussed peace plan. Kiev has not confirmed the Russian statements at the moment.
We recall that at the beginning of the war in 2022, Russian forces occupied Kupyansk, which is a key logistics center in the Kharkiv region. In the fall of the same year, however, as part of a lightning Ukrainian counteroffensive, Russia lost control of the city and significant territories in the Kharkiv region. Since then, Kupyansk has remained one of the most contested sections of the front, and control over the area has periodically been the subject of conflicting claims by both sides.
Independent observers emphasize that information about the situation in Kupyansk remains fragmentary and contradictory, and therefore all statements should be viewed with caution.