Russian troops, including soldiers disguised as Ukrainians, briefly broke through the frontlines in the northeast, a sign that Moscow is successfully pressuring Kyiv.
Four waves of Kremlin fighters descended on the re-conquered city of Kupiansk on Wednesday, entering the town for the first time since they were forced to flee in September 2022, according to the Ukrainian military.
“They partially entered the suburbs, the industrial zone, and were destroyed by our troops,” the city’s military administration chief said in a statement.
Pasi Paroinen, a military analyst with the Black Bird Group, said Russia launched the assault to try and gain ground in the northeast front before being demolished by the responding Ukrainian army.
“However, a penetration like that certainly signals confusion and weakness in Ukrainian defenses in that area, which could prompt the local Russian commanders to increase their efforts to squeeze or cut off the Ukrainian salient,” Paroinen told Reuters.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said the Kupiansk thrust involved Russian troops attacking with tanks, armored combat vehicles and other powerful weaponry.
Wednesday’s assault stands as an escalation to the fighting along the northeastern front, with Kupiansk standing just 1.5 miles away from the frontlines.
The city, whose population has dwindled to just 3,000 people, has been under constant shelling, with officials urging the remaining citizens to once again evacuate.
Kupiansk, which had 26,000 residents before the war, was initially conquered during the early days of the Russian invasion in February 2022 before Kyiv’s counteroffensive liberated the city seven months later.
While the Kremlin did not comment on Wednesday’s failure to retake the city, Vitaly Ganchev, a Moscow-installed official, said Russian troops were gaining a foothold in the city’s outskirts.
Given the location and intensity of the battle along the northeast front, the accounts of Wednesday’s outcome could not be independently verified.
Despite suffering heavy losses in the invasion effort, Russia continues to make slow but steady advancements along the frontlines.
Oleksandr Kovalenko, a Ukrainian military analyst, warned Moscow was likely looking to make one more big push to conquer as much territory as it can before Jan. 20, when President-elect Donald Trump would be inaugurated.
Trump campaigned on a promise to end the war in Ukraine, with experts believing it would lead to cease-fire negotiations that could see Moscow maintain the land it’s invaded.
With Post wires
