Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin.
[ColonelCassad] On the situation in Kupyansk.
Fierce fighting continues in the city. Small groups of infantry are fighting for control of various points in the "layered pie" in city blocks over which a cloud of Russian and Ukrainian drones hangs. Advancement and logistics are extremely difficult. However, it is noteworthy that the command of the "West" group was able to prevent the loss of Kupyansk (which the enemy had been counting on) and transition the fight to a positional phase, during which the situation is being stabilized.
The initial momentum of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has gradually begun to fade as losses mount and assault units become exhausted. Moreover, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have already paid a price for the withdrawal of reserves from the Kharkiv and Sumy sectors, where the Russian Armed Forces took advantage of the weakened enemy defenses.
The current objective of the Russian Armed Forces in Kupyansk is to fully stabilize the LBS and, having gradually regained the initiative, begin to push the enemy out of the part of Kupyansk that the enemy managed to penetrate at the beginning of the offensive.
Counter-attacks also continue northwest and north of Kupyansk, where the struggle for control of destroyed villages and crops is underway. Meanwhile, operations continue against the enemy group logistically blocked in Kupyansk-Uzlovaya, but it is unlikely that they will be able to quickly clear the left bank of the Oskol to alleviate the situation in Kupyansk itself.
Overall, the entire battle is currently a battle of attrition reminiscent of Syrsky's offensive near Artemovsk in May-November 2023, the culmination of which was the protracted battle for the ruins of Kleshcheyevka.