The Kupyansk collapse appears imminent as Ukrainian officials and pro-Kremlin voices acknowledge Russian forces are losing their grip on the strategic northeastern city. Reports indicate that remaining Russian units are isolated, undersupplied, and increasingly surrendering, signaling a major setback for Moscow’s military campaign in the Kharkiv region.
According to the Kyiv Post, Ukrainian military officials say only several dozen Russian troops remain inside Kupyansk. Viktor Trehubov, head of communications for Ukraine’s Joint Forces grouping, said those forces include foreign mercenaries and lack reliable supply routes. “They are surrendering,” Trehubov said, adding, “There have even been cases of foreigners — foreign mercenaries for the Russians — giving themselves up.”
Ukrainian officials report Russian troops are relying on limited air resupply, a tactic described as unsustainable. “Supply by air bridge alone is not something that allows them to hold out for long,” Trehubov said. Despite daily Russian assaults along the Kupyansk axis, Ukrainian commanders say Moscow lacks the manpower to reverse the imminent collapse. “At this stage, they simply do not have additional capabilities to somehow restore the situation,” Trehubov said.
Notably, Russian military bloggers have begun conceding the loss. “An entire wave of messages appeared saying that Kupyansk is gone,” Trehubov said. He added that “even Russian propagandists have switched to a line acknowledging that the city is no longer under their control.”
Ukraine’s General Staff reported five Russian attacks in the sector on Dec. 24, all repelled. Kupyansk, a key rail and road hub with a prewar population of 27,000, was briefly occupied in early 2022 before Ukrainian forces liberated it later that year, a fact Ukrainian officials say Moscow has tried to obscure.
