Ukrainian officials say only a few dozen isolated Russian troops — including foreign mercenaries — remain in Kupyansk and are increasingly surrendering as ground supply lines fail. Limited air resupply has proved insufficient to sustain their positions, while a recent Ukrainian counteroffensive disrupted Russian efforts to stabilize the front. Russian military bloggers and pro‑Kremlin voices have begun acknowledging that Kupyansk is no longer under Russian control. Kupyansk, a strategic rail and road hub in Kharkiv region with a prewar population of about 27,000, remains under Ukrainian control.
Kupyansk On The Brink: Isolated Russian Troops Surrendering As Pro‑Kremlin Voices Acknowledge Loss
An evacuation van travels through the largely destroyed frontline city of Kupiansk, Ukraine, Jan. 6, 2025.
Russian forces appear to be on the verge of being pushed out of the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kupyansk, leaving only a small number of isolated troops inside and prompting some pro‑Kremlin commentators to concede the setback, the Kyiv Post reports.
Current Situation
Ukrainian military officials told the Kyiv Post that the Russian personnel still inside Kupyansk number only several dozen and are increasingly cut off from reliable ground supply routes. Viktor Trehubov, head of communications for Ukraine’s Joint Forces grouping, said those remaining fighters include foreign mercenaries embedded with Moscow’s units and that many are surrendering.
"They are surrendering. There have even been cases of foreigners — foreign mercenaries for the Russians — giving themselves up," Trehubov said during a televised briefing carried by Ukrainian state media.
Officials say the handful of Russian formations still inside the city are surviving largely because of limited aerial resupply — a stopgap that cannot sustain long‑term operations in urban terrain. "Supply by air bridge alone is not something that allows them to hold out for long," Trehubov added.
A Ukrainian army chaplain talks to Ukrainian soldiers in a shelter in the direction of Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, March 13, 2024.
Fighting and Operational Picture
Although Russian forces reportedly continue to mount multiple assaults along the Kupyansk axis, Ukrainian commanders say those attacks lack the manpower and reserves needed to change the balance on the ground. Ukraine’s General Staff reported that on Dec. 24 Russian troops carried out five attacks in the Kupyansk sector; Ukrainian forces said all were repelled near Petropavlivka, Pishchane, Zahryzove and Kupyansk itself.
Trehubov also said a recent Ukrainian counteroffensive surprised Russian units and further disrupted their efforts to stabilize the front, leaving small Russian formations unable to withdraw or receive reinforcements after failed attempts to entrench in the city’s northern districts.
Messaging Shift And Strategic Importance
Observers noted a notable shift in Kremlin‑aligned messaging: Russian military bloggers and war correspondents have increasingly acknowledged that Kupyansk is no longer under Russian control. "An entire wave of messages appeared saying that Kupyansk is gone," Trehubov said.
Ukrainian soldiers from the 115th Brigade Mortar Unit conduct mortar training as members of the Anti-UAV unit test an FPV drone inhibitor in Lyman, Ukraine.
Kupyansk is a key rail and road hub in Kharkiv region with a prewar population of about 27,000. The city was briefly occupied during the opening months of Russia’s full‑scale invasion in 2022 before Ukrainian forces liberated it later that year — a sequence Kyiv officials say Moscow has sometimes sought to obscure with disinformation.
Outlook
Combat continues around the city, particularly across the Oskil River, but Ukrainian officials maintain that Kupyansk proper remains under Ukrainian control. If current conditions persist — isolated troops, limited resupply, lack of reserves — Russian forces inside the city are unlikely to hold out for long.
Source: Reporting by the Kyiv Post; statements from Ukrainian military officials.
