President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Kupiansk and published video and selfies to counter Kremlin claims that Ukrainian forces there were surrounded. The short clip—filmed in front of a tattered but still Ukrainian blue-and-yellow city sign—features an explosion heard in the distance and shows Zelensky meeting frontline troops while wearing a bulletproof vest. Ukrainian officials widely circulated the footage as proof that Kupiansk remains under Kyiv’s control despite continued Russian attacks.
Zelensky Visits Kupiansk, Posts Selfies and Video to Debunk Putin’s Claim That Troops Were 'Surrounded'
Zelenskyy in Kupiansk
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Kupiansk and posted a short video and selfies to directly counter Russian President Vladimir Putin’s repeated assertions that Ukrainian forces there had been surrounded.
What Zelensky Showed
In footage filmed in front of Kupiansk’s distinctive city sign, Zelensky said he visited "our warriors who are getting the job done for Ukraine here." An explosion is audible in the distance while he speaks, underscoring that Kupiansk remains on the frontline. He was wearing a bulletproof vest during the visit, and later posted multiple selfies and photos of meetings with the troops who defended the city.
Background And Significance
Kupiansk is a strategic city in Kharkiv Oblast near the Russian border. Russian forces occupied it in the early months of the full-scale invasion before Ukrainian troops liberated the city during the September 2022 Kharkiv counteroffensive. Despite that liberation, the city has continued to face attacks and shelling that have damaged hospitals, schools, apartment buildings and other civilian infrastructure.
Why The Visit Matters
The Kremlin had intensified claims that Kupiansk was under Russian control and even invited international media to visit. Zelensky’s on-the-ground presence, widely shared by official Ukrainian accounts and supporters, was meant to rebut those claims publicly and provide a visible sign of Ukrainian control.
“The Russians kept going on about Kupiansk — the reality speaks for itself,”
Beyond the president’s presence, the damaged city sign in the video — still painted in Ukrainian blue and yellow — provided a prominent visual indicator of Kyiv’s control. Throughout the war, occupiers have sometimes repainted or altered city signs when control changed hands; Euromaidan Press previously circulated images of such changes in Mariupol.
Broader Context
Zelensky emphasized that achieving results on the frontline strengthens Ukraine’s position in any negotiations — a point made amid discussions about proposals Kyiv has rejected that would have ceded significant territory. The visit served both as a tactical morale boost for troops and as strategic messaging to international audiences.
The footage and photos were amplified across social media, with accounts such as UNITED24 describing the visit as "mythbusting" and evidence that Kupiansk remains under Ukrainian control.
