Kremlin officials on Thursday claimed that Russian forces had encircled more than 10,000 Ukrainian troops across two key battlefronts in Ukraine’s Kupiansk and Krasnoarmeysk regions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was also briefed on the latest developments, including the entrapment of up to 31 Ukrainian battalions, marking one of the major advances in recent months. This comes days after Russia test-fired its latest nuclear-capable cruise missile powered by a nuclear reactor with “unlimited range”.
The drones and missile barrages on Thursday continue to pound Kyiv, as Russia pushes further into Ukrainian territory, sparking fears over an escalating “no escape” phase of the conflict.
Meanwhile, the Kupiansk region, which remained under Russian control for seven months before Ukrainian forces recaptured it in 2022, is once again in Moscow’s crosshairs. Officials in Moscow said on Thursday that they have the city encircled, with Russian soldiers launching attacks from the north, while the Ukrainian military is witnessing a collapse in the region.
Locals fear that another siege by the Russian forces could lead to destruction as well as the displacement of thousands living in the strategically important city. Eyewitnesses recall what they describe as a brutal onslaught that Russian forces carried out while they searched for the soldiers who fought against them in 2014 and 2022.
Also Read: Russia intensifies ops in Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kyiv retaliates
According to several testimonies, the vast majority of the city’s landscape is safeguarded with anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. Though these devices have transformed the city's outer parts into what Ukrainian forces describe as a deep "kill zone".
Kupiansk remains a key and strategically important logistics hub. Military experts have said that its capture could mark a symbolic and strategic victory for Moscow.
Experts point out that victory in Kupiansk will open the gates of hell for Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the entire frontline. "It is also a political target because it has already been occupied. They now need to show some kind of victory," experts have added.
Also Read: Russia tests new nuclear-capable Burevestnik missile
Follow us
