Moscow Claims Major Gains in Kupiansk as Ukrainian Losses Mount

Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday, September 23, that its forces are successfully advancing in the operation to liberate Kupiansk in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. According to the ministry, units from the ‘West’ group of forces are taking part in the battle for the city.

“At present, Russian troops have blocked a large enemy grouping from the north and west, encircling it in a semicircle,” the Defense Ministry said.

Encirclement and Reported Ukrainian Losses

The ministry stated that up to 700 Ukrainian fighters remain trapped in Kupiansk, of whom 250 have already been eliminated. Among the casualties are members of the so-called Russian Volunteer Corps (banned in Russia as a terrorist organization) and special forces of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR). In total, over the past month, Ukrainian forces have lost more than 1,800 troops in battles for Kupiansk, along with 36 tanks and armored vehicles, two multiple launch rocket systems, and 137 artillery pieces and mortars, according to Moscow.

A City Turned Into a Fortress

Fighting for Kupiansk has continued since the start of the special military operation. Russian troops first entered the city in February 2022, but withdrew in autumn of that year as Ukrainian forces advanced in the Kharkiv region. The Defense Ministry now stresses that Kyiv has since transformed Kupiansk into a heavily fortified city. “Practically every building was converted into a reinforced strongpoint, equipped for long-term defense,” the ministry said. It added that reinforced concrete structures and extensive minefields turned the city into a fortress.

Underground Assault Tactics

According to the ministry, Russian assault groups operated in coordination with reconnaissance, artillery, drones, and electronic warfare units. Notably, they employed what Moscow described as an “underground assault” tactic, advancing through engineering communications beneath the city. Ukrainian sources earlier reported that Russian troops entered Kupiansk through a gas pipeline near the settlement of Lyman Pervyi. Using scooters and wheeled stretchers, they allegedly traveled inside the pipeline for four days, creating what Kyiv called a “logistical artery” for the offensive.