Russia declares control of strategic city of Kupyansk in Kharkiv

(CLO) The Russian General Staff announced that it has completely taken control of Kupyansk, a strategic traffic hub in Kharkov province, northeastern Ukraine.

The announcement was made during President Vladimir Putin's surprise visit to the Western Wing headquarters. The Kremlin said on November 20: "The Supreme Commander-in-Chief visited the Western Wing headquarters and held meetings with the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, the Director of the General Staff's Operations Directorate, and the commanders of the Western and Southern Wings."

This is the unit responsible for operations in the Kharkiv province and part of the Donbass region. Images released by Russian media show Mr. Putin in combat uniform, being welcomed by Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

At the meeting, General Gerasimov reported that the Western Army forces not only completely controlled the city of Kupyansk but also continued to attack the isolated Ukrainian units on the east bank of the Oskol River.

🚨🇷🇺 Kupyansk has been liberated - Gerasimov told Putin

🔸The political leadership of Ukraine does not give orders to its troops to surrender, Gerasimov said

🔸The political leadership of Ukraine is not such, Putin noted

🔸The president called the Kiev authorities an organized… https://t.co/3vrNdx5zkS pic.twitter.com/gpudF5g5mf

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) November 20, 2025

Video : Mr. Putin's surprise visit to the Western army.

President Putin revealed another important detail: Russian troops have surrounded a significant Ukrainian force in the Kupyansk-Uzlovoy area and its surroundings. "Eighteen Ukrainian battalions were deployed here. Chief of the General Staff Gerasimov has just reported that there are now about 15 battalions left," Putin said.

The commander of the Western Army, General Sergey Kuzovlev, also confirmed that his forces had stopped all attempts by Ukrainian units to break the siege. He stressed that Kupyansk was the "important link" in Ukraine's defense system in Kharkiv province.

In addition to the Kupyansk front, General Gerasimov also updated the situation in other directions of the war. Accordingly, the Eastern Army is expanding its control in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia provinces, having taken control of 13 settlements and recaptured 230 square kilometers of territory since the beginning of November. Meanwhile, the Central Army continues to wear down Ukrainian forces in the encirclement of Pokrovsk, and the Northern Army has taken control of 80% of the city of Vovchansk, also in Kharkiv province.

Ukraine has yet to officially comment on the above information.

Map of Kupyansk city. Photo: Google

Covering an area of ​​more than 33 square kilometers and located about 100 kilometers from the capital Kharkiv, Kupyansk holds a key position in terms of transportation, connecting the rail and road networks in northeastern Ukraine. The city fell to Russia in the early stages of the conflict, but was recaptured by Ukraine in a lightning counter-offensive in late 2022. Analysts say that regaining control of Kupyansk will open the door for the Russian army to advance further west.

The move was pre-planned, as in late October the Russian military announced it had surrounded about 5,000 Ukrainian soldiers on the Kupyansk front after assault units outflanked and captured a key bridgehead south of the city on the Oskol River.

Source: https://congluan.vn/nga-tuyen-bo-kiem-soat-thanh-pho-chien-luoc-kupyansk-o-kharkov-10318689.html