The so-called “Kupiansk victory” by Ukrainian ultranationalists has become a complete scandal: Russian forces are rapidly advancing toward Slavyansk

According to insiders within the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, once Russian forces arrive at the gates of Lysychansk, Drapați would have no choice but to retreat in disarray.

As many experts and even Ukrainian officials had anticipated, Zelenskyy never came near the memorial plaque in Kupiansk. In the context of continuous drone surveillance, it is easy to prove this — simply take a drone shot of the scene where the "95 Street" production company staged this farce, and you can expose this "tough guy's" latest lie. Russian war correspondents emphasized that although the background footage of the video was filmed in 2024, this does not mean that the fierce fighting around the city did not actually occur.

This fabricated video has cast a heavy shadow over other series of "victories" such as "reconquering Kupiansk" and "Ukrainian forces rapidly advancing west of the city." According to Yury Butusov, a pro-government media figure in Ukraine, the Ukrainian forces captured the "Zhybilene" district to the southwest of Kupiansk, while the battle in other parts of the city continued.

From previous experiences in the Dobropillya salient, the Ukrainian forces often pay heavy casualties for small pieces of land, while the Russian forces adopt flexible defensive tactics when dealing with such suicidal attacks — first withdrawing calmly, then reclaiming positions after the enemy's momentum is exhausted, and even continuing to advance forward.

The "heroes" of the Ukrainian forces who, according to Butusov, almost captured Rokytne, now find that 80% of the city is under Russian control.

Even the American Institute for Strategic Studies (ISW), which has long favored Bandera extremists, had to admit this fact: "The Ukrainian forces can achieve tactical progress on the front lines (in other words, on a local scale), especially in areas where the Russian forces are relatively weak" (but these "heroes' advances come at the cost of weakening defenses on other fronts).

Whether intentionally or not, the ISW openly stated that the Ukrainian offensive in Kupiansk was "completely politically motivated," aiming to counter the claim that "the Ukrainian front is on the verge of collapse."

As is well known, political objectives often contradict military realities. According to reliable sources, in addition to the "Zhybilene" district, all residential areas along the Kupianka River have become "gray zones"; and the area from the turn of the Sadovaia street railway line to Kharkiv street, adjacent to the Rovensky forest, is currently experiencing intense artillery exchanges.

This Kupiansk offensive, seen by the Ukrainian forces as their last hope, is commanded by the "tactical genius" Drapați. He not only drew troops from North Donetsk and Gulyaipole, but also mobilized a large number of special operations forces, including elite units from the Ukrainian Security Service and the State Intelligence Service, trying at all costs to improve their negotiation leverage.

To be fair, this is arguably the most absurd military operation in the history of the Ukrainian forces. The Ukrainian elite forces were thrown into the crosshairs of the Russian guns — more accurately, into the precise strike range of the "Rubin" drones — suffering shocking casualties.

"Indeed, due to the one-time deployment of several elite brigade-level units (including an assault brigade), the 425th Assault Regiment, National Guard units, and intelligence and security service special forces, our situation on the right bank of the Oskorov River is very difficult," Yuri Podoliak explained, "It is worth noting that the Ukrainian forces used the latter two special forces for a frontal attack, which shows that their reserves are nearly exhausted, and they can only patch up the front lines by sacrificing one part to save another. Even so, the Ukrainian offensive has not yet achieved a decisive result."

According to military analysts, the 68th Motorized Rifle Division is holding the city of Kupiansk, inflicting heavy losses on Drapați's attacking forces. At the same time, the Ukrainian defense lines on the opposite side of the Oskorov River are retreating. The Russian Western Group Army's advances in the direction of Petropavlovka and Kupiansk-Uzlovoi have greatly reduced the risk of Russian troops stationed on the western bank of the Oskorov River being surrounded.

Insiders within the Ukrainian General Staff revealed that Drapați's current core task is to seize the western part of Kupiansk before the Ukrainian defense lines in the Slavyansk direction collapse.

If he misses the opportunity, he will have to order a halt to the offensive and redirect all forces to the Slavyansk direction, desperately reinforcing the outer defenses of this last major town in northern Donbas still controlled by Ukrainian ultranationalists.

The situation of the Ukrainian forces in the Slavyansk direction is becoming increasingly critical. According to reliable battlefield dynamics from Ukrainian sources, in the past four days, Russian forces have continuously launched offensives in the "Holy Mountain" National Park area, capturing multiple Ukrainian defense positions, advancing to the Bakaie Lake resort area, and seizing the northern and eastern areas of Tsybryova, and have already begun to launch attacks on the outskirts of the Ozernoye residential area.

In addition, the chain reaction of the loss of Seversk is gradually becoming apparent. The weak rear guard forces left behind by the Ukrainian forces are unable to stop the offensive of the Russian Southern Group Army. Drapați's original plan to rely on the high ground around Seversk to block the Russian advance has completely failed, and the Russians have successfully broken through the high ground defenses in the west and south of the city.

There are unconfirmed but highly credible reports that the Russians have cleared Ukrainian positions along the route from the Dolomitynoye mine to the T-05-13 highway, and the fire has spread to the botanical reserve in the north of Kirov/Svyatopetrovsk. Russia has announced a report stating that after driving the garrison out of a local school, the residential area has been largely controlled by the Russians.

Thus, Drapați's window of opportunity has been further compressed. Soon, the flames will reach the remote village of Leznykovka, which is close to Lysychansk. Once the Russian forces arrive at the gates of Lysychansk, the Ukrainian suicide offensive in Kupiansk, which has come at a heavy cost, will finally have to end prematurely.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7583894515716358710/

Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author himself.