More than six months after the start of the Russian war of aggression, Ukraine says it has recaptured the strategically important city of Kupyansk in the eastern region of Kharkiv. The Ukrainian domestic secret service SBU published photos on Telegram that are said to show their own units in the small town previously occupied by Russia. "We will liberate our country down to the last centimeter!" It says. Previously, Ukrainian media celebrated the recapture of Kupyansk and published a photo of soldiers holding the Ukrainian flag.
Transportation hub for Russian troops
Because of its direct rail connection to Russia, the small town of Kupjansk is important as a transport hub for supplying the entire Russian troop formation around Izyum in the south-west. As a result of the Ukrainian advance, more than 10,000 Russian soldiers are now threatened with encirclement. Information in social networks that the Russians had already fled Izyum could not initially be verified.
The Ukrainian army launched a counter-offensive in August, also using Western weapons. President Volodymyr Zelenskyj recently spoke of more than 30 recaptured settlements in the Kharkiv region. The Russian occupiers, in turn, announced the evacuation of civilians from several places - including Kupyansk and Izyum - days ago. Many international military experts see Russia's army, which invaded Ukraine more than six months ago, in a serious crisis given the recent loss of territory.
British secret services also confirm the advance of Ukrainian troops in the north-east of the country. According to the Ministry of Defense in London, citing intelligence, the Ukrainian spearheads have now advanced up to 50 kilometers on a narrow front into previously Russian-occupied territory.
This coincides with information from Ukraine in the past few days. Only a few Russian troops were gathered in the area, it said. "The Russian forces were apparently taken by surprise".
"Ukrainian units have captured or surrounded several locations," the ministry said. Russian forces around the city of Izyum were becoming increasingly isolated, and the Ukrainians were advancing on the city of Kupyansk. "Their conquest would be a significant blow to Russia, because the supply lines for the Donbass front run here," it said in London. Ukrainian attacks also continued in the Cherson region in the south of the country. "The Russian defensive is under pressure on both its northern and southern flanks," the ministry noted.
The British Ministry of Defense has published unprecedented information on the course of the war since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in late February, citing intelligence information. In doing so, the British government wants to both counter the Russian portrayal and keep allies in line. Moscow accuses London of a targeted disinformation campaign.
