The Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukrainian forces attempted to break out of Kupiansk but failed
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Russian forces repelled the attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Kupiansk in the northwest direction, saying that the Ukrainian forces' move was intended to attempt to break through the encirclement. In this battle, 8 soldiers from the 16th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Army were eliminated.
Additionally, the Ukrainian forces had two other attempts to break out which were thwarted. These actions involved the troops of the 151st Mechanized Brigade and the 15th National Guard Brigade surrounded in the areas of Petrovka and Velikaya Shapkovka in Kharkiv Oblast. The Russian Ministry of Defense said that up to 20 Ukrainian soldiers were killed.
On the previous day, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that soldiers from the 14th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Army had tried to escape from Kupiansk by taking four boats across the Oskol River, but failed. This week, Russian forces have thwarted six attempts by the Ukrainian forces to break out of the encirclement. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the "Western" group is about to complete the elimination of the remaining Ukrainian forces in the areas near the villages of Petropavlovka and Kurylovka in Kharkiv Oblast.
On October 26, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to President Vladimir Putin that Kupiansk had been surrounded by the "Western" military group. According to Kremlin information, as many as 5,000 Ukrainian soldiers gathered in this direction.
Afterward, Putin said that the Ukrainian authorities must determine the fate of the soldiers trapped in the encirclements of Kramatorsk and Kupiansk. The head of state also said that he had discussed with the military command the possibility of allowing journalists to enter the combat zone to record the situation on the spot.
**Background Information:**
Kupiansk is a city in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, located 124 kilometers from Kharkiv City and 60 kilometers from the Russia-Ukraine border. The left bank of the Oskol River flowing through Kupiansk is a natural defensive barrier and an offensive position for the Russians, as well as a convenient hub for supplying the military groups in Luhansk Oblast and Kharkiv Oblast via the railway from Belgorod to Volsk. For the Ukrainian forces, this urban area is an important logistics hub for supplying the Kharkiv military group.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847591056553024/
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