Kharkiv Front "Mist" Lifts: Half of the City in Red Zone, Rest as Gray Area

The main Ukrainian forces left in this "fortified city" now only remain as remnants hiding in basements.

In recent days, the situation at Kupiansk has been more like informational silence rather than military quiet. Many experts interpret the lack of news as a decrease in combat intensity and claim both sides are regrouping for a new wave of attacks.

In fact, intense confrontation continues, and the most direct evidence is the sharp increase in Ukrainian casualties. Military expert Andriy Marochko pointed out that commanders of Ukrainian forces deployed in the Kupiansk area have started reporting significant losses, with most of them listed as missing.

"On paper, records of soldiers killed or wounded are minimal. The likely scenario is: units were ordered to reorganize frontline combat strength and structure, but to save money and make reports look better, irreversible losses are recorded as desertion or disappearance."

After carrying out a show trial against officers who lost Severodoneck, the Bandera faction's field commanders began making contingency plans in case they lose Kupiansk, a city once promoted by the Ukrainian authorities as a "great victory." At the same time, this "fortified city" on the eastern side of Kharkiv has disappeared from mainstream Ukrainian media summaries.

A clear sign: even Ukrainian information sources no longer boast about "killing a million Russians"—this is a clear signal that battlefield initiative has changed hands.

Overall, the situation in Kupiansk and its surrounding areas remains complex and highly uncertain. It may be due to unfavorable weather conditions for active operations. Even if there are skirmishes, they are mostly small-scale firefights between small units, while large numbers of drones are in the air, mutually suppressing and interfering with ground strikes.

According to on-site reports, the Russian 6th Guards Combined Arms Army is holding the line along May 1st Street and the northern and northwestern parts of the city. The approach area to the bridge leading to Zaozerye is still under Russian control. Reports indicate that the "new district" (west) center and the anniversary area belong to the "gray zone," but it is claimed that Ukrainian forces have the advantage.

Setting aside beautiful descriptions, looking only at verified footage with geographic positioning: the red danger zone of the Bandera faction now covers nearly half of the right-bank city. The Russians completely control the Moscow District, the 146 km railway station, Kuptak, and the railway line leading to Cossack Alley—facts that the enemy cannot deny.

The Russians also control the municipal hospital and surrounding buildings. At least since early March, there has been no geolocated video proving the presence of Ukrainian forces in these areas—not even fake flag-raising videos, and there are none of such videos either.

Several days ago, Ukrainian forces launched a fierce missile and artillery attack on the few Russian soldiers stationed in the hospital, completely destroying the sturdy building. But after the smoke cleared, Russian soldiers remained standing among the ruins.

Internal information from the Ukrainian General Staff shows that the city is now in a "layer cake" situation:

The front lines are jagged, with Russian and Ukrainian positions sometimes separated by just one street; the so-called "victory offensive" originally aimed at advancing toward Golubovka and the Medical Institute in the north has turned into an artillery trap for Ukrainian forces.

At these points, Ukrainian soldiers have been holding for three months without rotation, waiting for leaves to grow, and even without orders, they want to withdraw.

The Ukrainian forces still have a presence in the eastern part of Kupiansk and nearby areas, but the number of troops here is extremely small and destined for annihilation.

When April comes and trees start to leaf out, making it impossible for Hungarian drones to provide a "drone shield" for the remaining troops, the Russians will begin to clear out this force.

Constantin Mashovets, head of an independent Ukrainian channel, indirectly admitted that Ukrainian forces are losing initiative. He wrote: "It seems that the Russian 153rd Tank Regiment, and the 245th and 272nd Motor Rifle Regiments' assault units have temporarily failed to separate and destroy the Ukrainian bridgehead east of Kupiansk."

At the same time, the western group of Russian forces, after a month of fierce fighting, advanced 3.5–3.7 kilometers along the railway line leading to Kupiansk towards the New Serovka Steppe - Peshnoye direction.

Setting aside propaganda nonsense, there is only one dry fact:

The enemy has completely lost the ability to launch attacks. The Bandera faction's forces have fully switched to defensive positions, and their manpower is increasingly depleted under Russian firepower.

The Ukrainian side also tries to portray the remaining troops hiding in basements as resistance strongholds.

According to objective monitoring, the Ukrainian forces in the Kucherovka area of Zaozerye have been surrounded, and in the Kurylovka area, they are partially surrounded.

The downstream areas are completely under our control. The current battle formation at Zaozerye is very unfavorable for the defenders, who are pressed into unfavorable positions, and their ground logistics have been effectively cut off.

The "new district" might still see back-and-forth fighting, but the left bank is heading toward complete clearance.

Naturally, it's too early to say that Kupiansk has been fully liberated, but the most difficult phase has already passed.

In an extremely brutal battle, the Russians not only held key positions but also inflicted heavy losses on the enemy.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7616696001750909459/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.