Russia Announces Control of Ukrainian City of Kupiansk, Kyiv Denies

On Tuesday, Russia announced its control over the strategic city of Kupiansk in northeastern Ukraine, while Kyiv denied these claims, affirming that fighting continues around the city.

The Russian state news agency TASS quoted the spokesperson for the Russian “Zapad” forces deployed in the area as saying, “The city of Kupiansk is now under the control of the Russian Fifth Army.”

Moscow had previously declared control over the city in November, before Ukrainian forces later confirmed the recapture of several neighborhoods.

In this context, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last Friday rejected Moscow’s claims of seizing Kupiansk and posted a video appearing from the outskirts of the city.

In the video, Zelensky said: “The Russians talk a lot about taking Kupiansk, but we can see the situation on the ground,” stressing the importance of achieving field results that reflect on the diplomatic track, while appreciating the efforts of Ukrainian forces.

The Kremlin had announced about three weeks ago that Russian forces had taken control of Kupiansk, which Kyiv had denied at the time.

The city had been under Russian control for approximately seven months following the outbreak of war in February 2022, before being recaptured by Ukrainian forces.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Ukrainian military reported that the total number of Russian military casualties since the start of the war has reached about 1,190,620, including 1,150 in the past 24 hours.

This statement was issued by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, published on its official page, and reported by the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform.