The Ukrainian military continues to hold fast in the center of the town, even if the Russian forces are attacking in the flanks and launching forays into the suburbs.
In recent weeks, senior Russian officials have claimed significant progress on the battlefield in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has even cited that progress in support of his reluctance to negotiate for a peaceful resolution to the nearly four-year conflict.
However, not everything on the ground is going as the Kremlin is describing. Indeed, amid stories of Russian progress in several parts of the frontline, the Ukrainian military launched a localized counteroffensive around a key city.
A Ukrainian Counterattack in Kupiansk
Earlier in December, the Ukrainian military launched a counteroffensive in the northwest part of Kupiansk.
“In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have conducted clearance operations in the town and contested Russian logistics supply operations in the vicinity,” the British Ministry of Defence assessed in a recent intelligence update on the course of the fighting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy even visited Kupiansk in person to showcase that the Ukrainian forces are still in control of most of the town. The Ukrainian leader reportedly got to about 1 mile from the Russian positions and just 500 yards from the areas where there is combat.
“This follows Russian Chief of the General Staff Gerismov’s inaccurate 20 November 2025 claim that Russian forces had taken control of Kupiansk, and Russian President Putin’s 12 December 2025 inaccurate claim that Russian forces had surrounded Kupiansk, and purported invitation to the media to visit,” the British Ministry of Defence stated.
The Ukrainian military continues to hold fast in the center of the town, even if the Russian forces are attacking in the flanks and launching forays into the suburbs. Indeed, the Russian military is focusing much of its attention on the southern suburbs of Kupiansk, making incremental tactical gains in the area.
“Russian forces are continuing to conduct daily attacks and attempting to infiltrate Kupiansk from the north, as well as utilising the Oskil river which runs north to south along the town’s eastern flank,” the British Ministry of Defence assessed.
Kupiansk was one of the first Ukrainian towns to fall into Russian hands in the opening days of the war in February 2022. However, a surprise and highly successful Ukrainian counteroffensive in September of the same year liberated Kupiansk and dozens of other Ukrainian towns and villages in the eastern and southern parts of the country.
Russian Casualties in Ukraine
Meanwhile, the Russian military, paramilitary units, and pro-Russian separatist forces continue to take heavy casualties on a daily basis.
Indeed, in the past 24 hours alone, the Russian forces lost approximately 1,120 troops killed and wounded, according to the data provided by the Ukrainian General Staff. In total, the Russian forces have lost around 1,197,860 men in the war since February 24, 2022. (The Ukrainian numbers have been fairly consistent with Western intelligence and military assessments of Russian losses.)
Materiel losses were also significant. The Russian forces lost approximately 109 unmanned aerial systems, 64 tactical vehicles and fuel tanks, 10 artillery pieces, and 2 infantry fighting vehicles. Overall, the Russian forces have lost tens of thousands of heavy weapon systems in the nearly four-year conflict.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: Shutterstock.com / M2M_PL
