Russian forces near collapse in Kupyansk as Moscow allies concede city lost: report

Former CIA station chief addresses whether peace is possible in Ukraine Fox News contributor Dan Hoffman discusses the state of Ukraine’s peace talks and what is a ‘slow burn’ on Russia’s economy on ‘Fox News Live.’ Russian forces appear close to being pushed out of the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kupyansk, with only a small number of isolated troops remaining and even pro-Kremlin voices acknowledging the setback, according to a report. The Kyiv Post reported Thursday that Ukrainian military officials say Russian units left inside the city are cut off from reliable supply lines and are increasingly surrendering as their position deteriorates. Viktor Trehubov, head of communications for Ukraine’s Joint Forces grouping, said Russian forces inside Kupyansk now number only several dozen and include foreign mercenaries fighting alongside Moscow’s troops. "They are surrendering," Viktor Trehubov said during a televised briefing carried by Ukrainian state media. "There have even been cases of foreigners - foreign mercenaries for the Russians - giving themselves up." ZELENSKYY VISITS FRONTLINE UKRAINIAN CITY WEEKS AFTER RUSSIA CLAIMED IT TOOK CONTROL An evacuation van travels through the largely destroyed frontline city of Kupiansk, Ukraine, Jan. 6, 2025. (Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu via Getty Images) According to Ukrainian officials, the remaining Russian units are surviving largely on limited air resupply, a tactic that cannot sustain long-term operations inside the city. "Supply by air bridge alone is not something that allows them to hold out for long," Trehubov said. While Russian forces continue to launch multiple assaults along the Kupyansk axis each day, Ukrainian officials say those attacks lack the manpower and reserves needed to change the balance on the ground. UKRAINE, US NEAR 20-POINT PEACE DEAL AS PUTIN SPURNS ZELENSKYY CHRISTMAS CEASEFIRE OFFER A Ukrainian army chaplain talks to Ukrainian soldiers in a shelter in the direction of Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, March 13, 2024. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images) "At this stage, they simply do not have additional capabilities to somehow restore the situation," Trehubov said. The Kyiv Post also reported that Russian military bloggers and war correspondents have begun openly conceding that Kupyansk is no longer under Russian control, marking a notable shift in Kremlin-aligned messaging. "An entire wave of messages appeared saying that Kupyansk is gone," Trehubov said. "Even Russian propagandists have switched to a line acknowledging that the city is no longer under their control." Ukrainian officials stressed that Russia never fully re-established control over Kupyansk after its liberation in September 2022, aside from a brief occupation during the early phase of the invasion. US OFFICIALS TOUT PROGRESS IN TALKS TO REACH 'LASTING AND DURABLE PEACE' BETWEEN UKRAINE, RUSSIA Ukrainian service members of the 44th artillery brigade fire a 2s22 Bohdana self-propelled howitzer toward Russian positions at the frontline in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Aug. 20, 2025. (Danylo Antoniuk/AP Photo) "In reality, it was never fully taken by them in order to be ‘lost,’ aside from a short period in 2022," Trehubov said. Efforts by Russian units to dig in within the city’s northern districts...

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