Zelensky visits Kupyansk as Ukraine retakes parts of front-line town
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recording a video message on his mobile phone in front of a road sign marking the entrance to Kupyansk, in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, on Dec 12
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
- Ukrainian forces claim to have retaken parts of Kupyansk and encircled Russian troops, cutting off supply routes.
- President Zelensky visited Kupyansk, stating battlefield successes strengthen Ukraine's diplomatic position amidst ongoing conflict.
- Russia claims advances and capture of Kupyansk and Siversk, while Ukraine denies this, asserting continued control of Siversk.
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KYIV - Ukrainian forces said they had retaken parts of the northeastern town of Kupyansk and had encircled Russian troops there as President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the area and praised the operation, saying it strengthened Ukraine diplomatically.
With US-backed peace efforts under way, Moscow has said it is advancing on all fronts and that it has seized Kupyansk strategic city of Pokrovsk
Kyiv has denied this, saying that the fighting is continuing.
In a video clip posted on his social media account on Dec 12, Mr Zelensky, wearing a bulletproof vest, is seen standing in front of a sign bearing the town's name at the entrance to Kupyansk.
“Today it is extremely important to achieve results on the front lines so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy,” Mr Zelensky said in the clip.
‘Completely cut off’
Ukraine’s Khartiia Corps of the National Guard said it had liberated several northern districts of Kupyansk.
Russian supply routes have been cut off and several hundred Russian troops are surrounded, Khartiia said on the Telegram messaging app.
Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield reports.
“Today, we can say that the Russians in the city are completely cut off. For a long time, they couldn’t understand what was happening. But now they know they are surrounded,” Colonel Ihor Obolienskyi, Khartiia’s commander, was quoted by the Ukrainska Pravda news outlet as saying.
Russia, which began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, did not immediately comment on the Ukrainian assertions.
Ukraine’s Deep State battlefield mapping project now shows at least three villages to the north and west of Kupyansk under Ukrainian control.
Kupyansk’s northern districts are also shown as being under Ukrainian control, and the map suggests Russian troops are encircled in the city centre.
Military analysts said that in November, the pace of Russian advances had picked up to its highest this year as troops moved forward, taking control of smaller villages.
Russia said on Dec 11 it had captured the eastern town of Siversk.
Kyiv said it remained under Ukrainian control.
