Kyiv’s Strategic Retreat: The Fall Of Kupyansk And Pokrovsk Reshapes The Eastern Front

Fighting has intensified around the Russian village of Tyotkino, which is located on the border with Ukraine’s Sumy region. There are indications that units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ 17th separate tank-mechanised brigade are preparing to advance into Russian territory. The Ukrainians are also carrying out daily attacks on Russian positions in the Yunakovka area.

A combined missile and drone strike has disabled the 330-kilowatt Losevo substation in Kharkiv, causing serious power outages in the city.

To the east of Kupyansk, the Russian command is putting pressure on the central part of the protruding front line in the Petropavlovka area. There, Ukrainian Armed Forces units have been observed retreating from their positions. In the north of the Kupyansk area, Russian forces have captured the village of Otradnoye. In the city itself, Russian assault troops are attempting to close the bottleneck around the besieged Ukrainian garrison.

Russian units have finished taking control of the village of Shandrigolovo in the Liman area. Meanwhile, advanced assault groups have surrounded the neighboring village of Novoselovka from the north.

The fighting in the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk sector around Klebany-Byk has ended, and Russian forces are advancing towards Konstantinovka. Earlier, Ukrainian forces were trapped between the Russian army and a reservoir to the north.

In the northern part of the Pokrovsk sector, the Russians are advancing towards Veseloye and Zolotoy Kolodez. A southern ‘claw’ is beginning to take shape, which will encircle the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration. In Pokrovsk itself, the Russians are trying to encircle the city from the west in order to completely isolate the Ukrainian garrison. Meanwhile, north of the city, Russian assault troops have captured the village of Krasny Liman, thereby surrounding Rodninskoe from the south.

To the north of Gulyapole, the 394th Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment of the Russian 5th Army occupied the village of Novovasilevskoye on the eastern bank of the Yanchur River, to the east of Uspenovka. Preparations are underway to cross the river.

Kupyansk and Pokrovsk remain the most active areas on the front line. Kyiv is no longer trying to protect its cities, which are on the brink of collapse. The sooner these cities are captured, the sooner the Russian command will be able to redeploy the reinforcements sent there to new, more promising sectors. Preparations for an offensive by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk border area may be intended to draw as many Russian units as possible away from operational areas that are most challenging for Kyiv.

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