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.
Russian troops disguise as Ukrainians on battlefield, Kyiv says
A small Russian assault group briefly broke through to the outskirts of Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kupiansk for the first time since Moscow’s forces fled in September 2022, military officials said.
Moscow’s forces, including soldiers disguised as Ukrainian troops, attacked in four waves on Wednesday, but were repelled from the city, an important railway hub with a pre-war population of 26,000, Ukraine’s general staff said.
“They partially entered the suburbs, the industrial zone, and were destroyed by our troops... There were assault actions using heavy armoured vehicles, there were attempts to bring in infantry,” the city’s military administration chief Andriy Besedin said.
The city, now just 2.5km (1.5 miles) from the frontline, was under constant shelling and the population has dwindled to 3,000 people who were being urged to evacuate, he said.
Kupiansk was captured by Russian forces in the early days of Moscow’s February 2022 invasion and then retaken by Ukraine in a counteroffensive months later.
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Russian air attack kills one, damages energy installations in Odesa
A Russian air attack struck a residential building and energy installations yesterday evening in and near Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa, killing one person, injuring eight and knocking out a boiler plant used for heating, officials said.
“A multi-storey residential building was destroyed in the centre of Odesa, apartments were set on fire, high-rise apartments were damaged, along with about 30 cars,” Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.
Photos posted on Kiper’s Telegram account showed an apartment building on fire, smoke billowing out of windows and firefighters stationed nearby.
“Enemy fire also damaged the main central heating pipeline. The boiler plant has been temporarily shut down and repair work is under way.”
Heating infrastructure for one of the city’s maternity hospitals was also damaged, he said.
Mr Kiper earlier said the assault was carried out by drones, but Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov described it as a “mass combined enemy strike,” suggesting other weaponry was also used.
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