Ukraine denies reports of Russian troops entering Kupyansk

The AFU General Staff has denied the information that the Russian military allegedly used a pipeline to infiltrate into Kupyansk. The military statement stressed that the pipeline in question did not lead directly to the city and was fully controlled by the Ukrainian defenders.

According to the General Staff, the Russians continue their attempts to gain a foothold on the northern outskirts of Kupyansk. At the same time, of the four strands of the pipeline, three have already been damaged and flooded, while the exit of the fourth is under the control of the Defence Forces. A counter-sabotage operation is underway in Kupyansk itself, while search and strike operations are underway around the city.

During the last two weeks of the defence operation in this direction, the Russian army has lost 395 men, of whom 288 were killed. There are also prisoners among the occupants," the General Staff specified.

The military stressed that the operation in the area of Kupyansk continues, Ukrainian units are strengthening defences and striking at the enemy.

Earlier, the DeepState monitoring project reported that the Russians allegedly penetrated the city through a gas pipe, using tactics similar to those used in the capture of Avdiivka and Sudja. However, the head of the Kupyansk MIA, Andriy Besedin, said that this information did not correspond to reality: the fighting was taking place only on the outskirts of the city, and Russian troops had not entered Kupyansk.

At the same time, a video has appeared online which, according to the authors, shows Russian military personnel trying to crawl along a pipeline towards the city.

Kupyansk in Kharkiv region was under Russian occupation. It was liberated in the autumn of 2022 during the Kharkiv counter-offensive.