Surprise identity of Russian military commander commanding Kupyansk attack campaign
Kiev admitted losing half of the city of Kupyansk, while the commander of the Kupyansk offensive on the Russian side was a former Ukrainian officer.
Báo Khoa học và Đời sống•22/09/2025
The Russian military website Military Review reported that the Russian Armed Forces (RFAF) have consolidated their positions in residential areas in Kupyansk and are entering the city not only from the north but also from the northwest. This is true, according to Ukrainian military analysts. They noted that the “gray zone” from the north has spread to the city center. It is worth noting that this admission from Kiev, as usual, came rather late. In fact, according to information from the field, the situation of the Ukrainian defense in Kupyansk is much more difficult. According to Russian sources, this morning, RFAF units entered Sadovaya Street and consolidated their positions.
The Military Summary channel said the RFAF has captured the Spartak Stadium, an ambulance station and the Culture Park. Fighting is currently taking place near the medical university. Currently, Ukrainian troops are holding positions near the bus station, the city hospital, the local brewery and the police station. Military experts explain that the RFAF is advancing on Kupyansk in a pincer movement, pushing enemy forces out of the urban area. However, despite the apparent successes, it is not yet possible to declare the defeat of the Ukrainian defenses in the city. According to the Military Chronicles channel, multiple pro-Kiev sources said that over the past week, the RFAF has entered the central area of Kupyansk. The fighting has been fierce, with strong resistance from the AFU, and the picture is increasingly similar to recent urban battles: the RFAF gradually takes control of districts, moves from the outskirts into residential areas, and pushes the enemy back. Kupyansk is a key bastion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the Kharkiv region; losing the city would be a major blow to President Zelensky's image and a domino effect, forcing the AFU to retreat further west. Once Kupyansk falls, Russia will have a direct route north to Izyum, south to Volchansk (currently the RFAF Northern Group continues to press from the north), as well as a route to Chuguyev, and then to Kharkov, less than 100km away.
Kupyansk could also become a base like the Dvurechnoye bridgehead, helping the RFAF prepare for a further attack on Kharkiv. The most pressing question remains who controls half the city, a point that has been debated for weeks. Assuming that the “grey zone” on the map below is more under Russian control than Ukrainian, then the claim that half of Kupyansk is held by Russia is correct. However, the key is not to “plant the flag” but to establish stable, consistent control at 70-80%. Information varies by region and there is not much reliable data. The initial videos that suggested the idea of “50% under Russian control” did not provide a definitive statement of stability. For now, it would be more accurate to maintain a “gray” zone until there is irrefutable evidence. However, the speed of the RFAF's advance into the city was very slow, which is explained by the population and fortification system, which the Ukrainians had many months to consolidate. Large defensive areas still remain around the Bus Station, the Central Hospital, the Brewery and the Police Headquarters. But according to the Rybar military channel, this could soon change, as signs show that the AFU commander in Kupyansk himself finds it uncertain to hold these chokepoints, as the Russian encirclement is gradually tightening.
With the RFAF advance pressing on Kupyansk, the time will come when the AFU General Staff will order a retreat. Otherwise, a chaotic retreat like that at Bakhmut – in similar terrain – could occur, as has happened in the Ukrainian urban defense system. Now the key task for the Russian army is to reach the Kupyansk Brewery and the recruitment office, and then hold the position. Only then can it be said that most of the defense lines inside the residential areas on the right bank of the city have been broken. According to British media, the RFAF offensive in the direction of Kupyansk is being commanded by Lieutenant General Sergei Storozhenko. According to British media, Storozhenko is a native of the Kharkiv region. He studied at the Department of Intelligence, Army Academy in Kiev and served in the 36th Coastal Defense Brigade of the Ukrainian Navy, where he rose from the rank of company commander to brigade commander. He also participated in the international peacekeeping mission (KFOR) in Kosovo.
However, after the 2014 coup in Kiev, he joined the Russian army, received Russian citizenship and was appointed commander of the 126th Coastal Defense Brigade in Crimea. After the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, Storozhenko served as chief of staff of the RFAF's 35th Army in the Eastern Military District. In 2023, after being promoted to lieutenant general by the decree of Russian President Putin, he commanded the 6th Army of the RFAF, which was participating in offensive operations in the Kharkiv region. Needless to say, the British publication caused a real hysteria in the Ukrainian media, especially since the situation in Kupyansk was deteriorating daily. (photo source Military Review, Sputnik, Kyiv Independent).
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