UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Dec 3 – Ukrainian troops repelled Russian attacks on the right bank of the Oskil River near the village of Novomlynsk, Kharkiv region, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports.

One of the main goals of the Russian full-scale war is to capture the remainder of occupied Luhansk and Donetsk Oblast; their operations on the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line are dedicated to that. From this section of the frontline, they also aim to push into Kharkiv Oblast and re-occupy Kupiansk and Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi, important logistics hubs for the region.  

The General Staff said that the right bank of the Oskil River is currently under the control of the Ukrainian army, and “the Ukrainian flag is flying over Novomlynsk.”

The General Staff also reported that the number of Russian troops in this direction exceeded that of Ukrainian forces. However, with the support of artillery and drones, the Ukrainian military pushed the Russians off the right bank.

“The Russian army has repeatedly tried to cross the Oskil River in the Kupiansk direction using rubber boats and various types of floating craft, but the Ukrainian army has been destroying them. Those Russian soldiers who did get out and [leaked through] are being captured and destroyed,” Nazar Voloshyn, spokesman for the “Khortytsia” strategic group of forces, told Gwara Media.

Andrii Besedin, head of the Kupiansk city military administration, said that as of December 1, the distance from Kupiansk to the frontline is less than 1,5 miles, and the Russians continue to try to break through the Ukrainian defense in this direction every day. He added that about 3,700 civilians remained there, and all the children were evacuated.

Read more