Russians Cut Off, Much of Kupiansk Retaken As Zelensky Speaks From City

Putting an emphatic exclamation point on Ukraine's Kupiansk counteroffensive, President Zelensky visited troops inside the city where fighting is still going on and thanked those units who have retaken much of the city, contradicting the Kremlin's claims of having occupied it. Putin has never been seen anywhere near this or any active combat zone.

Ukrainian forces have completely encircled the Russian units still hiding inside Kupiansk as they have taken parts of the city and much of the surrounding countryside. JL

Jared Goyette reports in the Kyiv Independent and Vlad Litnarovych reports in United 24:

Ukrainian President Zelensky on Dec 12 recorded a video from Kupiansk as the 2nd Khartia Corps carried out a successful counteroffensive, encircling Russian forces inside the city. Numerous units including the 475th Assault Regiment and the 92nd Assault Brigade, liberated Kindrashivka, its outskirts, and surrounding forest areas. At the same time, the 13th Khartiia Brigade cleared Radkivka and nearby terrain and forced Russian troops out of dozens of buildings in northern Kupiansk. "The reality speaks for itself. I visited our troops," Zelensky said in a message, in which he stands in front of the bullet riddled sign marking the entrance to the city,

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Dec. 12 recorded a video from Kupiansk, one of the hottest parts of the frontline, in which he praised Ukrainian troops fighting in the city.

The front line visit comes as Ukraine’s National Guard said its 2nd Khartiia Corps carried out a successful counterattack north of Kupiansk, a development that flatly contradicts Russia's recent claims of capturing the city.

"The Russians kept going on about Kupyansk – the reality speaks for itself. I visited our troops and congratulated them. Thank you to each and every warrior! I am proud of you! And I thank all of our Land Forces – today is your day!" Zelensky said in a message posted to X accompanying the video, in which he stands in front of the bullet riddled sign marking the entrance to the city, surrounded by anti-drone nets. Ukrainian Defense Forces have carried out a successful counteroffensive near Kupiansk, encircling a Russian force inside the city, according to the command of the 2nd Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine’s Khartiia formation, and comments from Khartiia commander Ihor Obolienskyi to Ukrainska Pravda on December 11.

“The task was to enter the city and clear it of Russians. We operated simultaneously along two or three axes, cutting off their logistics,” Obolienskyi said.

 

“Today we can say that the Russians inside the city are completely isolated. For a long time they did not understand what was happening. But now they know they are surrounded.”

According to the corps, units of the 475th Assault Regiment “Code 9.2,” supported by the 4th Battalion of the 92nd Assault Brigade, fully liberated the village of Kindrashivka, its outskirts, and surrounding forest areas. At the same time, elements of the 13th Khartiia Brigade fully cleared the village of Radkivka and nearby terrain and forced Russian troops out of dozens of buildings in northern Kupiansk itself.

The 2nd Corps said Russian forces had broken into Kupiansk several months ago, advancing up to six kilometers from the Oskil River, pushing the city and surrounding settlements into a critical situation.

In response, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi established a dedicated search-and-strike formation in September.

The grouping brought together units from the 13th Operational Brigade Khartiia, the 475th Assault Regiment “Code 9.2,” elements of the 92nd Assault Brigade, units of the Defense Intelligence Directorate’s International Legion, the 144th Mechanized Brigade, the 127th Territorial Defense Brigade, and additional formations.

 

Inside Kupiansk itself, a separate tactical grouping known as “Kupiansk” has been operating continuously, engaging Russian forces within the city limits.

Between October and November, Khartiia assault units destroyed several battalions and assault groups from three regiments of Russia’s 68th Motor Rifle Division and the 27th Motor Rifle Brigade. These Russian units were operating with support from a drone regiment and UAV units known as “Rubikon” and “Judgment Day,” according to the corps.

Obolienskyi said that from September to the present, verified Russian losses exceed 1,000 killed, while no more than 200 Russian troops are currently believed to remain inside the city.

 

Right now they are throwing in all the reserves they have and trying to break through the defenses. But we see all of them and eliminate them,” he said. “By the way, we are recording many foreigners, including from Syria and African countries.”

The corps said all exits from a gas pipeline previously used by Russian troops to infiltrate Kupiansk are now under Ukrainian fire control. Russian resupply efforts are being carried out exclusively by drones, though Ukrainian operations are complicated by the presence of up to 500 civilians still inside the city, whom Russian forces are using as a “human shield,” according to the command.

“I would like to single out the work of ‘Code 9.2,’ who performed excellently, and thank the DeepState specialists for their understanding and information support,” Obolienskyi said. “But in reality, all units involved in the operation worked extremely well.”

According to the corps, between September 22 and December 12, units within the Khartiia operational grouping eliminated 1,027 Russian soldiers, confirmed by objective control data, wounded 291, and captured 13.

“Fighting in the city center is still ongoing, but Ukrainian Kupiansk will be fully liberated,” Khartiia said, thanking adjacent units from the 127th and 101st brigades, Special Operations Forces, the Military Law Enforcement Service, SBU Alpha, and the National Police’s KORD unit for coordinated and effective cooperation.

Earlier, assault troops of the Skelia regiment raised the Ukrainian flag in the center of the embattled eastern city of Pokrovsk.