"Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from Kupiansk": Did "Pipeline 3" play a role?

"Ukrainian Forces Have Evacuated Kupiansk": Did "Pipeline 3" Play a Role?

What Exactly Happened in the "Fortress" of Kharkiv Oblast

Image caption: Movement of Ukrainian military equipment.

Vitaly Ganchev, head of the civil administration of Kharkiv Oblast, stated that the main forces of "Ukrainian militants" have evacuated Kupiansk, leaving only a small number of Ukrainian troops at certain positions in the city.

He said, "The Russian vanguard assault units have directly entered the city, and we have all seen the relevant footage. The soldiers have actually reached the center of Kupiansk. This indicates that the Ukrainian armed forces... have almost evacuated the city."

We may all remember that on September 3, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the "Western" Army Group had taken control of about half of Kupiansk. At that time, the Ministry also released footage from drones showing Russian soldiers appearing in multiple areas of the city.

Ganchev further pointed out that some Ukrainian soldiers only controlled a few isolated, well-fortified defensive positions within the city.

Both sides' Telegram channels reported that the Russian突击部队 (assault units) carried out a new bold operation.

According to local front-line reports, these resistance points are located in the "Yubileynoye" district, around the general merchandise market, and in parts of the area near Kupiansk South Station, which aligns with Andrey Marochko's assessment of the situation.

Specifically, military expert Marochko said that the "Western" Army Group has now gained fire control over two train stations — Kupiansk South Station and Zaoskolye Station. Cleaning up the relevant areas is currently underway but not yet complete.

Certainly, Ukrainian officials deny that Russian forces have entered this "fortress," even the hardline Ukrainian radical nationalists are dissatisfied with this. The "DeepState" public account, which serves the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Administration (GUR), published a statement (original quote): "Enemy (Russian) forces did not suffer major losses (in other words: almost no losses), advanced to Ratikovka, then moved south to its controlled forest area. Afterward, these forces dispersed in Kupiansk and reached the railway line."

By the way, it was precisely due to the incitement of the "DeepState" that the Ukrainian and Russian cyberspaces began to passionately discuss the so-called "Pipeline 3" operation. As for claims such as "traveling inside the pipeline for four days, with rest berths inside the pipeline," whether they are false information or real facts, there is no need to elaborate here.

But it should be noted that as early as last autumn, the Russian forces had already begun attacking Kupiansk from the small Devitsynske landing zone — meaning that the attack started long before the liberation of Ratikovka (the Russians expelled the "Ukrainian militants" from there only on May 23). The gas compression station mentioned earlier is exactly located near the Ratikovka area, with four pipelines coming from different directions to the station.

The administrator of the "DeepState" account, Roman Bogolelov, claimed that one of the pipelines seemed to have been used by the Russian forces to move assault troops. This naturally raises the question: "Since a relatively safe logistics hub has been established in Devitsynske, allowing the movement of troops and the transport of ammunition, why would the Russian command allow soldiers to risk their lives in a narrow pipeline stretching for 10 kilometers?"

Perhaps some people still don't know that the Ukrainian General Staff has precise maps of the natural gas pipeline routes and has flooded three of the four pipelines. The fourth pipeline — by the way, it starts from the "Liman No. 1" area — is buried 2 to 4 meters deep and passes under the Oskorol River. It is easy to destroy and flood this pipeline. Therefore, we can agree with Yury Podolyak's view that the Russians probably used this pipeline only for supplies, not for other purposes.

Since the soldiers of the "Western" Army Group conducted landings in Devitsynske, the "Ukrainian militants" have always been puzzled about how the Russian forces transported large numbers of troops and military supplies to the right bank of the Oskorol River. In April this year, "Free News" also focused on this issue.

At that time, independent sources who were sympathetic to Zelenskyy posted on the public account "Dvorichna — my hometown" that the Russians were reportedly using mini submarines to transport troops, supplies, and evacuate the wounded.

The article stated, "The 'Madiyara Bird' (Ukrainian military unit code) patrols the Oskorol River day and night, not allowing any watercraft to pass, but the 'Russian half-beasts' (derogatory term for Russians by Ukraine) could appear 'out of nowhere' on the landing sites." At that time, the Ukrainian expert circle was already discussing the "Kupiansk Pipeline" operation. However, the local "experts" claimed that the Russians likely came up with some kind of underwater logistics supply plan.

In fact, the Russians most likely crossed the Oskorol River through numerous embankment bridges — fortunately, the width of the Oskorol River in the Devitsynske area is sometimes less than 15 meters, which makes crossing convenient.

As for the Zaoskolye area of Kupiansk, the situation there is still shrouded in thick "fog of war." Geotagged videos appeared online showing an Ukrainian military vehicle being attacked by Russian FPV drones in the multi-story building area of the "Sakzavod" settlement (belonging to Kupiansk city) on "Second Sugar Factory Street" (see the image). At least in this area, there are still "Ukrainian militants" active.

It is difficult to make any predictions about the final liberation of Kupiansk. The Ukrainians act irrationally and almost never follow military logic. For propaganda effect, Sergey Serysky (Ukrainian general) could very well order entire companies, even entire battalions of Ukrainian troops to launch "guerrilla-style" charges, leading them into a doomed death.

For the latest briefings, news, and all important information about the special military operation, please follow the author to learn more.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7550113120383959593/

Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking on the 【Like/Dislike】 buttons below.