Institute for the Study of War conducts regular assessments of the Russian offensives in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Their report from January 8 finds no confirmed changes to the frontline along the Kupiansk-Kreminna line, although positional fighting in the area continues. 

Mainly, combat is localized near Synkivka, Lake Lyman, and Ivanivka, northeast of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, and near Terny and Zhytlivka, west and northwest of Kreminna in Luhansk Oblast. 

Russian offensive actions in the region, according to ISW, are aimed at capturing the Luhansk Oblast fully and moving further into the Kharkiv and Donetsk Oblasts. For Kharkiv Oblast, they are, first and foremost, interested in Kupiansk.

Img: Assessment map of the region / Photo: ISW 

AFU Ground Forces Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said that the Russian army is “trying to capture Synkivka in the Kupiansk sector at any cost and create circumstances for blocking Kupiansk,” said Syrskyi.

Russians occupied Kupiansk from February until September of 2022. It’s a vital logistics and transportation hub for the region.

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