Ukrainian forces say they’ve retaken Kupyansk amid ‘gains’ in northeast
Ukrainian forces say they have retaken the strategic city of Kupyansk in eastern Ukraine, as they claim to be making “major gains” in the northeast of the country.
In a post on her Facebook account on Saturday, Natalia Popova, an adviser to Kupyansk’s city council, wrote, “Kupyansk is Ukraine . . . Glory to the armed forces of Ukraine.”
She also shared photos of troops holding up a Ukrainian flag in front of the city hall.
Ukraine's security service also confirmed Kiev had forces inside Kupyansk, while Ukrainian Special Forces published images on social media showing their officers in the city, which they said, “was and will always be Ukrainian.”
Kupyansk was captured by Russian forces less than one week after Moscow launched its full-scale operation in Ukraine late February.
If confirmed, the capture of Kupyansk, where rail lines linking Russia to eastern Ukraine converge, would pose a serious problem for Moscow, potentially trapping thousands of Russian troops on the frontline and cut off from supplies, including in Izium, Russia's main stronghold and logistics hub in the northeast.
Russia is sending reinforcements to Kharkiv amid reported intensification of the battle in the northeastern Ukrainian region.
Russian state media outlets broadcast footage on Friday showing columns of tanks, support vehicles, and artillery units traveling along in Kharkiv.
In an overnight video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy claimed at least 30 settlements had been liberated in Kharkiv during the advance of recent days. "Our army, intelligence units and the security services are carrying out active engagements in several operational areas. They are doing so successfully."
In a video posted on YouTube, Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukraine's presidential office, also claimed the Russians in Izium were almost isolated.
Russia began its operation after Kiev’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements and Moscow’s recognition of the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. At the time, President Vladimir Putin said one of the goals of the “special military operation” was to “de-Nazify” Ukraine.
Since the onset of the operation, the United States and its European allies have supplied billions of dollars’ worth of weaponry to Ukraine and imposed unprecedented sanctions on Moscow. Russia has repeatedly warned such a behavior will only prolong the war.
The conflict in Ukraine has killed thousands of people and displaced more than 13 million, creating the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.
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