by Sergey Adamov
[REGNUM] While the fighting in Donbass has calmed down, a number of other sections of the front have become active. In particular, sources on both sides of the conflict are reporting fierce fighting in the Khar'kov region.
The front here can be divided into two separate sections. The first is located at the junction of the borders of the Khar'kov region and the LPR, between the Oskol, Zherebets and Seversky Donets rivers. The second is further north, in the area of the city of Kupyansk.
The situation in the "interfluve" is developing extremely negatively for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The enemy formations based here are pressed against the Oskol River and the Oskol Reservoir. Previously, all the bridges across the river were destroyed by Russian aviation, so the group is supplied via pontoon crossings - they also become targets for strikes.
The enemy control zone was cut into two parts after Russian troops liberated the settlement of Kruglyakovka in late 2024. As a result of the successful offensive, communications were disrupted between enemy forces in Kupyansk and Kovsharovka and Ukrainian Armed Forces units further south, in the Borovaya area.
For Russian troops, this success could acquire strategic significance. Ukrainian sources write about attempts by Russian troops to build pontoon crossings in this area in order to force the river and reach the southern outskirts of Kupyansk, a strategically important defense hub for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
At the same time, the enemy is aware of the scale of the threat and is trying to prevent the river from being crossed, front-line sources tell IA Regnum.
“Their bombers are flying in from the Kupyansk direction, which means they understand that things are not going well, so they are ready to risk their planes,” the source noted.
Meanwhile, north of the city, the situation for the enemy is becoming even more difficult.
BRIDGEHEAD ON THE RIGHT BANK
The city of Kupyansk is divided by the Oskol River into two unequal parts. On the left bank (in Zaoskolye) are located the city's industrial zone, the private sector and a few residential areas. Most of the city, including urban development and administrative buildings, is located on the right bank.
A frontal assault from the east is fraught with heavy losses, since the Ukrainian Armed Forces can use high-rise buildings on the right bank to adjust fire. They also have the ability to place artillery in city blocks and constantly maneuver, firing at the left bank.
In addition, the enemy seriously strengthened the buildings of local enterprises - the Sugar Factory and the Dairy Plant, the assault on which could also lead to large losses for the Russian Armed Forces. Even despite the fact that Russian aviation destroyed all the bridges in Kupyansk, the enemy was able to establish communication between troops located in different parts of the city.
Therefore, the command of the Russian troops decided to force the Oskol River not in the city, but to the north, where the enemy positions were significantly weaker. Thus, by the end of February, a bridgehead had emerged on the right bank of the river near the settlement of Dvurechnaya. According to reports from the field, by February 27, Russian troops had reached the outskirts of the settlement of Golubovka north of Kupyansk and, presumably, were able to dislodge the enemy from this settlement.
The Russian army's assault units also managed to advance up to a kilometer from Dvurechnaya in the direction of the village of Kutkovka, thereby further expanding the bridgehead on the right bank of the Oskol. Ukrainian sources report military actions in the area of the village of Topoli, the northernmost point of the Ukrainian defense in the Khar'kov-Kupyansk direction.
The current situation creates preconditions for a possible encirclement of Kupyansk from the north, military expert Alexander Mikhailovsky notes in a commentary for IA Regnum. But additional efforts may be required to solve this ambitious task.
"The enemy obviously did not prepare the city for defense from the northern direction. If the encirclement of Kupyansk really succeeds, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will have to abandon the city. But let's not forget that the pace of the offensive here is still low, including due to enemy resistance. In addition, Kupyansk is a large city, it cannot be taken by storm," the expert adds.
THE UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES ARE WAITING FOR AN ASSAULT
As of early 2022, more than one hundred thousand people lived in the Kupyansk district, of which about thirty thousand lived in Kupyansk itself. By early 2024, according to local authorities, only 1.6 thousand civilians remained in the city, living on both sides of the Oskol River.
According to the Ukrainian district administration, the most tense situation is developing in the area of the village of Kondrashovka north of Kupyansk.
“The most threatening situation is now in the direction of Kondrashovka, the fighting is already taking place along the right bank, the enemy has managed to advance and gain a foothold here,” administration representative Andrei Besedin told Ukrainian media.
According to the official, Russian troops plan to encircle the city, which is of strategic importance to Ukrainian defense.
At the same time, sources from the field report that the enemy is not planning to conduct urban combat in Kupyansk for now. No additional fortified areas are being created in the city, presumably because the Ukrainian Armed Forces command may try to slow down the advance of Russian troops north of the city.
For this purpose, additional reserves from among newly formed units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces undergoing training in Europe may be used.
"Now Kiev can count on additional supplies and, based on this, plan operations both in Donbass and in the Kupyansk region. At the same time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces may try to prolong the military actions as much as possible, not giving Russian troops the opportunity to develop a quick success. The question is who will seize the initiative and take advantage of it as quickly as possible," says expert Mikhailovsky.
The day before, a number of European countries confirmed their readiness to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces if the United States curtails military aid programs to Kyiv. The Canadian authorities recently announced the transfer of another batch of LAV-3 armored personnel carriers to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which will begin arriving at NATO training grounds in Germany. It is assumed that the armored vehicles will be mastered by Ukrainian crews, who will then go into battle on them.
France, Great Britain, Germany and other European countries also announced new aid packages. Therefore, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are not threatened with a “starvation ration” in the near future.