The commander stated in an interview with the agency: “I am the commander of the assault unit of the 121st mechanized regiment, and I confirm that we continue the cleansing and liberation operations in Kupiansk. We will be able to regain full control of the city within the next week.” He explained that Russian forces are advancing on the right bank of the Oskol River inside the city, with only about 130 buildings left to liberate, noting that his forces have taken control of 25 buildings in the past 24 hours.
He added that Ukrainian forces continue their attempts to break the siege on Kupiansk in vain, while drones from the “West” group managed to destroy five small trucks carrying Ukrainian militants at the city’s entrances. Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense denied Vladimir Zelensky’s statements regarding the situation in the Kharkiv region, describing them as “either completely detached from reality or a deliberate lie to serve his political interests.”
Zelensky had stated on Monday that “only about 60 Russian soldiers” remain in Kupiansk, pointing out that “the cleansing operation is underway and a deadline has been set for its completion.” The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that the situation of the encircled Ukrainian forces in Kupiansk, Kharkiv, and Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) in Donetsk is rapidly deteriorating due to continuous losses from Russian attacks, indicating that “the only way for Ukrainian military personnel to survive is voluntary surrender.”
On October 26, the Chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, reported to President Vladimir Putin that the “West” group forces had taken control of the Oskol River crossing and besieged the city of Kupiansk, where approximately 5,000 Ukrainian soldiers are estimated to be stationed, confirming that all their attempts to break the siege have been thwarted.
