UKRAINE, KUPIANSK, Sep. 17 — On Sep. 17, DeepState, an OSINT war monitoring group, reported that Russian troops advanced in central Kupiansk and Holubivka, one of the nearest villages north of the city.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also reported that geolocated footage published on Sep. 16 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced to Sadova Street in Kupiansk.

Assessed control of terrain in the Kupiansk direction on Sep. 16
Assessed control of terrain in the Kupiansk direction on Sep. 16 / Photo: ISW

Yurii Fedorenko, commander of the “Achilles” regimen, told Suspilne on Sep. 17 that urban fighting with Russian sabotage groups was happening in Kupiansk. He said that, as of the morning of Sep. 17, Russian troops didn’t control any part of the city.

Fedorenko told “Suspilne” that Ukrainian forces also blew up the tube Russians were using to reach the outskirts of the city. 

Before that, there have been reports about Russians using a gas pipeline to reach the outskirts of Kupiansk from the north, the third time they have used this tactic since a full-scale invasion. 

“The question of the gas pipeline is solved. It was blown up,” Fedorenko said. Now, he added, they are trying to cross Oskil, entering Kupiansk from another side. 

A drone pilot working in Kupiansk who wished to stay anonymous told Gwara, “Aviation and artillery (worked to blow the pipeline), the results are unknown for now. I hope it got flooded.”

This August, evacuated locals told Gwara journalists that they saw Russian soldiers dressed up as civilians in the city. The military working in Kupiansk also confirmed the presence of the Russian troops in the city back then. 

On Sep. 13, the General Staff said that Ukrainian soldiers are conducting a counter-sabotage operation in Kupiansk. According to them, since the beginning of the operation, in two weeks, the Russians have lost 395 troops.

At the same time, Andrii Besedin, head of the Kupiansk military administration, said during the national telethon that there aren’t Russian troops in Kupiansk, and Ukrainian forces control the whole city’s territory.

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