Yesterday, as Ukraine’s acting president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was dealing with what was undoubtedly a “tough-love message” from U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, the Russian military announced the liberation of the city of Kupyansk, a railroad hub and strategic military site in the Kharkiv Region of Ukraine.
The Chief of the Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov announced to President Vladimir Putin: “Formations of the West group liberated the city of Kupyansk.” He added: “The Armed Forces continue to perform tasks in accordance with the plan of the special military operation. The troops of the united group are advancing in almost all directions, building on the success achieved during the spring-summer campaign.”
Separately, commander of the West group Sergei Kuzovlev provided some detail, stating: “In the Kupyansk direction, the assault detachments of the 68th Motorized Rifle Division of the 6th Army completed the liberation of the city of Kupyansk.... The city is under our control. Separate small disparate groups of the enemy are being destroyed.” Otherwise, his West group is continuing “to carry out combat missions in the Izyum direction....” Of note, Izyum, which is likewise in Kharkiv Region, is a potential staging ground for a southward offensive towards the northern Donetsk People’s Republic cities, Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, which are still held by Kiev.
