UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Sep. 8 — OSINT-based reports that Russian forces have fully occupied Kozacha Lopan in northern Kharkiv oblast is not true, Vitalii Sarantsev, a spokesperson of the 14th Army Corps of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, told Gwara Media.

This morning, an OSINT project AMK Mapping published information about the occupation of Kozacha Lopan by Russian troops. According to Sarantsev, active fighting continues in the settlement and its surroundings.

“The Russians are trying to identify weaknesses in the defenses there. Ukrainian forces are holding their positions, conducting active defense, and repelling enemy attacks,” he said.

On Sep. 1, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, claimed that Russian forces captured 14 Ukrainian settlements, including Kozacha Lopan and Svyatohirsk. At that time, Sarantsev said that part of the settlement was remaining under Ukrainian control.

Also, Oleksandr Kulik, head of the information department of the Derhachi city council, told Gwara Media that there are still 37 civilians in Kozacha Lopan. Russian FPV drones control the airspace over the settlement, making it impossible to evacuate people.

The settlement has no electricity, gas, or communications. It is also currently impossible to deliver humanitarian aid there, he added.

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