UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Aug 25 — Russian troops advanced near Sobolivka in the Kupiansk region, reported war monitoring group DeepState.
Sobolivka is a village to the west of Kupiansk, and about one kilometer south of it, lies highway H-26, connecting the city to the rest of Kharkiv Oblast.
Russians have been trying to encircle Kupiansk since the spring of 2025. They attack both to the north, northwest of Kupiansk, toward the Shevchenkove—Kupiansk highway, to cut off Ukraine’s only logistics route, and to the east, where they are trying to transport heavy military equipment across the Oskil River.
Previously, Gwara relayed reports of internally displaced people and several soldiers working in and near Kupiansk, saying that Russian sabotage groups are already operating in the city.
Kupiansk and Kharkiv Oblast’s local authorities say there are no Russian sabotage reconnaissance groups in the city.
At the beginning of August, ISW confirmed Russian presence in Sobolivka, saying that their likely occupation of Myrne and Sobolivka fits Moscow’s patterns of partially enveloping the city they want to seize instead of using frontal assaults to occupy it.
This August, Gwara celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Whatever awaits Ukraine in Russia’s war, our Kharkiv-based newsroom plans to keep reporting on it for many more years. Please consider supporting our journalism by buying us a coffee or subscribing to our Patreon.
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