Russian forces are advancing to eliminate Ukrainian troops surrounded in two separate pockets on the front line, according to Moscow’s military reports. The Defense Ministry stated that Ukrainian units near Kupyansk launched three failed attempts to break through Russian encirclement, resulting in 50 soldiers killed and six heavy equipment units destroyed. In another region near Krasnoarmeysk, 60 Ukrainian servicemen were reportedly killed, along with two armored vehicles and three cars.
At a military conference, Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov informed President Vladimir Putin that approximately 5,000 Ukrainian soldiers were encircled near Kupyansk and another 5,500 near Krasnoarmeysk. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky dismissed these claims as “fake news aimed at deceiving the United States,” asserting that his forces remain operational and that Russian advances do not threaten a strategic breakthrough.
Zelensky has consistently rejected reports of significant Ukrainian setbacks while seeking continued Western financial and military support. Meanwhile, Ukrainian soldiers and officers have criticized the government for forcing them to occupy unsustainable positions under political pressure rather than tactical necessity.