Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin’s troops disguised as Ukrainians in assault on key city
Putin’s troops attacked Kupiansk outskirts in four waves and used troops disguised as Ukrainian soldiers
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Your support makes all the difference.Russian troops disguised themselves as Ukrainian soldiers as they launched new attacks in the outskirts of the northeastern city of Kupiansk, Kyiv said while confirming a frontline breach.
The Russians attacked in four waves and used troops disguised as Ukrainian soldiers but were repelled from the city, Ukraine’s General Staff said.
“They partially entered the suburbs, the industrial zone, and were destroyed by our troops,” the city’s military administration chief Andriy Besedin said. “There were assault actions using heavy armoured vehicles, there were attempts to bring in infantry.”
Kupiansk was captured by Russian forces in the early days after the February 2022 invasion but liberated by Ukraine in a counteroffensive a few months later. The Russians are now making a renewed bid to recapture the region.
The attack came as Russia signalled it was open to negotiations mediated by US president-elect Donald Trump to end the Ukraine war.
Gennady Gatilov, Moscow’s ambassador to the UN, said any talks would have to be based on the realities of Russian advances, a claim pushed by Vladimir Putin for territory grab in Ukraine.
Remains of car that exploded in Sevastopol killing Russian naval officer
Trump says 'Russia and Ukraine’s gotta stop’
Donald Trump has said his administration would focus on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“We’re going to work very hard on Russia and Ukraine. It’s gotta stop. Russia and Ukraine’s gotta stop,” he said during an event in Florida.
The US president-elect expressed regret over the deaths caused by the war, “whether they’re soldiers or they’re people sitting in towns”. “We’re going to work it.”
During his campaign, Mr Trump repeatedly said he could quickly end the fighting in Ukraine but did not offer details of how he would accomplish that.
A France-trained and armed force aims to strengthen Ukraine's defenses at critical juncture in war
A France-trained and armed force aims to strengthen Ukraine's defenses at critical juncture in war
A French military task force with the festive name “Champagne” is wrapping up a mission that’s no party
Ukraine says it has stopped Putin’s forces advancing on key city in Kharkiv
Ukraine says it has full control of a key city in the northeast of the country, after Russian troops – some disguised as Ukrainian soldiers – were said to have briefly breach its outskirts.
The Ukrainian military’s general staff wrote on the Telegram messenger app that the “alleged presence of Russian troops in the city of Kupiansk is not true”.
The comments came after it was reported that Russian troops had, in fact, entered the city in the Kharkiv region on Wednesday for the first time since they fled in September 2022. The city is an important railway hub with a pre-war population of 26,000.
Ukraine says it has stopped Putin’s forces advancing on key city in Kharkiv
Kyiv’s military say they have full control of Kupiansk, but admit Russian forces did briefly breach its outskirts
Ukraine is facing a ‘hammer blow’ of 50,000 Russian troops in Kursk – can they hold out?
Analysis: Ukraine is facing 50,000 Russian troops in Kursk – can they hold out?
Experts tell Andy Gregory and Tom Watling that the real question is how much Kyiv’s troops are able to inflict casualties on the Russians as the price for taking the territory back
Why Russia is going all-out to capture Ukraine’s Kupiansk
Russian forces have breached the outskirts of Ukraine’s northeastern city Kupiansk, part of a region it briefly held after first invading Ukraine, military officials said.
Moscow’s forces attacked the region in four waves and used soldiers disguised as Ukrainian troops but were repelled from the city by Kyiv’s forces, Ukraine’s General Staff said. But why does the control of Kupiansk, a significant rail hub in the area, matter?
Kupiansk was captured by Russian forces in the early days of the February 2022 invasion and then liberated by Ukraine in a counteroffensive months later.
Vladimir Putin’s forces deployed 15 pieces of hardware in their assault on Kupiansk, including tanks and armoured vehicles, as they attempt to expand offensive operations on a sprawling more-than-1,000km front, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
The Russian attack looked opportunistic and Kyiv appeared to have isolated and destroyed most of the Russian forces that penetrated the outskirts of Kupiansk, Pasi Paroinen, a military analyst with the Black Bird Group, said.
“However, a penetration like that certainly signals confusion and weakness in Ukrainian defences in that area, which could prompt the local Russian commanders to increase their efforts to squeeze or cut off the Ukrainian salient,” he added.
He said the coming days would likely indicate whether the Kremlin was going to react to this by ramping up attacks there further.
Ukraine is facing a ‘hammer blow’ of 50,000 Russian troops in Kursk – can they hold out?
After months spent occupying a swathe of territory in Russia in the wake of a daring summer assault, Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Ukraine is now engaged against a force of 50,000 troops amassed by Vladimir Putin in the border Kursk region.
The Ukrainian incursion was the largest on Russian soil since the Second World War and succeeded in taking Moscow – and even Kyiv’s closest allies – by surprise.
But despite Ukrainian troops’ success in bedding into positions deep into Kursk, the offensive received a mixed reaction from analysts, with some questioning the wisdom of drawing vital defensive power away from the fight in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, where Mr Putin’s forces have been making steady, grinding gains for months.
Alex Croft and Tom Watling report:
Analysis: Ukraine is facing 50,000 Russian troops in Kursk – can they hold out?
Experts tell Andy Gregory and Tom Watling that the real question is how much Kyiv’s troops are able to inflict casualties on the Russians as the price for taking the territory back
Mapped: Where has Russia made advances on the frontline in Ukraine?
Mapped: Where has Russia made advances on the frontline in Ukraine?
Ukraine’s military say the hottest fighting along the roughly 640-mile frontline is taking place along multiple points in Donetsk
London-based Russian TV chef who criticised Putin found dead in Serbia
A London-based exiled Russian television chef has been found dead in Serbia.
Alexei Zimin, 52, was an outspoken critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s Crimea annexation. He was found dead in a hotel room in Belgrade earlier this week, according to Russian media. He was travelling to the Serbian capital to promote his new book on Britain, entitled Anglomania.
According to the Serbian authorities, there were “no suspicious circumstances” in Zimin’s death. An autopsy and toxicology investigation was underway, according to BBC News.
Zimin spent his final years in exile in the UK and ran a cookery show on the Russian NTV channel. But the show was stopped after he issued anti-war messages on social media in the wake of Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Europe is in grave danger if Trump hands victory to Putin in Ukraine
Europe is in immense danger if Trump hands any kind of victory to Putin on Ukraine
The president-elect has said he’ll end the bloody Ukrainian conflict ‘in one day’ when he returns to the White House. But, says Keir Giles, whatever action is taken could have profound consequences for Europe
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