LIVE – War in Ukraine: tense situation around the city of Kupiansk, in the east of the country

The incursion was brief, but symbolizes the fragile situation of the Ukrainian army on the eastern front. According to kyiv, Russian infantry managed to briefly penetrate the town of Kupiansk, before being repelled by the Ukrainian army. “The situation was indeed very difficult” Wednesday November 13 with “assaults” repeated Russian attacks, the head of the municipal military administration, Andriï Bessedine, told AFP. The Russian infantry managed to “enter” in the city before being “destroyed”their vehicles having been “destroyed on approach”, he assured.

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THURSDAY, “the situation within the city walls of Kupiansk and its commune is under control, there are no Russian troops or equipment”, added Andriï Bessedine. The Ukrainian army also assured that the city was “entirely” controlled by his forces. Russian forces occupied the eastern town just days after the invasion began, when the city's then-mayor ceded control to Russia. Ukraine recaptured the town in September of the same year as part of a lightning offensive which allowed it to reconquer large swathes of the Kharkiv region.

This brief breakthrough comes as the Russian army has been advancing for months on the eastern front, advances which have particularly accelerated since October. In recent months, Ukrainian authorities have issued several mandatory evacuation orders for civilians as Russian troops once again move closer to Kupiansk and surrounding territories. “Since September 2022, the enemy has been trying to retake the city and the commune, without success,” declared Andriï Bessedine, saying he was convinced that the Ukrainian forces would be able to hold the city. Around 4,000 civilians – out of the 27,000 who resided there before February 2022 – still live in Kupiansk and its surroundings, according to the Ukrainian official.