Defeat Of Russians At Kupiansk Was 10 Weeks In Planning, Execution

Ukraine's surprise defeat of Russian forces at Kupiansk too 10 weeks of secret planning and execution. It demonstrated that Ukrainian forces retain their ability to launch counteroffensives and inflict significant casualties on the Russians.

It also reaffirms their capacity for innovation, including the use of a BMW 7 Series sedan armed with rocket launchers. JL

David Axe reports in Trench Art:

In a 10-week campaign beginning in late September, a Ukrainian force led by Col. Gen. Igor Obolensky and anchored by the 2nd National Guard Corps first contained and then rolled back Russian gains in Kupiansk. The Ukrainian counterattack killed 1,000 Russians. Hundreds of Russians are surrounded in the town’s ruins. The 2nd National Guard Corps had some stylish support—from a BMW armed with three 122-millimeter rockets. The rocket-armed BMW 7 Series belongs to the Ukrainian 114th Territorial Defense Brigade. Videos of the BMW in action depict the crew driving along muddy roads, jacking the car into place to stabilize it and aiming the rockets tubes using an app on a tablet.

All along a 150-mile front stretching from Kharkiv Oblast in northeastern Ukraine to Zaporizhzhia Oblast in southeastern Ukraine, the Russians—who outnumber Ukrainian troops five to one in many sectors—are on the march. But not in Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast. In a 10-week campaign beginning in late September, a Ukrainian force led by Col. Gen. Igor Obolensky and anchored by the 2nd National Guard Corps first contained and then rolled back Russian gains in Kupiansk, pre-war population 26,000. According to war correspondent turned drone commander Yurii Butusov, the Ukrainian counterattack killed 1,000 Russians. It’s possible hundreds of Russians are now surrounded in the town’s ruins.  114th Infantry Brigade photo On Nov. 20, Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, claimed Russian forces were in control of the city of Kupiansk in eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv Oblast. Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin repeated the claim a day later. It was a lie. Russian forces infiltrated Kupiansk but never consolidated. And a decisive Ukrainian counteroffensive by the Ukrainian 2nd National Guard Corps returned the city to Ukrainian control by early December. On Dec. 12, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelensky shot selfies while standing just a mile or so from the city center. The Kupiansk counterattack was a rare bright spot for Ukrainian forces who are falling back in several other key sectors along the 700-mile front line: in particular, around Siversk, Pokrovsk and Huliaipole. And the 2nd National Guard Corps had some stylish support—from a BMW armed with three 122-millimeter rockets. The rocket-armed BMW 7 Series belongs to the Ukrainian 114th Territorial Defense Brigade. Photos and videos of the BMW in action depict the crew driving along muddy roads, jacking the car into place to stabilize it and aiming their rockets tubes using an app on a tablet. “The operation to liberate Kupiansk is far from over,” Butusov wrote. “Day after day, houses are being cleared; the operation is complicated by a significant number of civilians who remain in the city—and whom the Russians use as human shields.” Even so, the Kupiansk counterattack is a bright spot. A moment of hope and elation for a country that’s fighting for its survival through a long, dark winter. Trench Art is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber... Upgrade to paid Keep reading with a 7-day free trial Subscribe to Trench Art to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives. Start trial A subscription gets you: Subscriber-only posts and full archive Post comments and join the community   Like Comment Restack   © 2025 David Axe 805 Gregg St., Columbia, SC 9201 Unsubscribe