Lavrik stated in a video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense: “My unit is carrying out the mission to liberate Kupiansk, and in the last day, we managed to liberate 25 buildings in the city.” He explained that his forces advanced in the western part of the city on three streets, where nine buildings were liberated on ‘Zapadnaya First’ Street, four on ‘Levadniy Vezdiz’, and three houses on ‘Sinkovskaya’ Street. He added that neighboring units managed to liberate nine additional buildings around the feed factory.
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense denied Vladimir Zelensky’s statements regarding proximity in the Kharkov region, describing them as “either resulting from complete detachment from reality or deliberate lies to serve his political interests.” Zelensky had stated on Monday that “only about 60 Russian soldiers” remain in Kupiansk, noting that a “cleansing operation is underway and a completion date has been set.”
The Russian Defense Ministry affirmed that the situation of the besieged Ukrainian forces in Kupiansk, Kharkov, and Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) in Donetsk is rapidly deteriorating due to ongoing losses from Russian attacks, indicating that “the only way for Ukrainian soldiers to survive is voluntary surrender.” On October 26, the Chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, reported to President Vladimir Putin the control of the ‘West’ Group over the Oskol River crossing and the encirclement of Kupiansk, where approximately five thousand Ukrainian soldiers are estimated to be stationed, confirming the thwarting of all their attempts to break the siege.
