Kupiansk Front: Ukrainian Command Reports Cessation of Russian Infiltration

Ukrainian military commanders confirmed on Tuesday that no further effective Russian infiltrations toward Kupiansk have been recorded since the completion of Operation Veles. Viktor Trehubov, the spokesman for the Joint Forces Group, made the assessment during a live television interview. He noted that while Russian units previously penetrated the city's northern districts, the offensive push has stalled following Ukrainian countermeasures.

Trehubov explained that Russian troops initially entered the area via the village of Holubivka and through underground pipeline infrastructure. They established small groups of positions in the northern residential zones. "After the Russians had effectively been driven out of Kupiansk once, and after they managed to create what they saw as a grey zone in Holubivka and use the pipeline, they were able to infiltrate the northern districts with a certain number of troops, several dozen, roughly, and establish positions there," Trehubov said.

The current situation on the ground remains contested. Both Ukrainian and Russian forces are currently present in Kupiansk, located in Kharkiv Oblast. Trehubov indicated that the city retains more intact infrastructure than neighboring towns, which affects tactical operations.

He compared the structural state of Kupiansk to that of Vovchansk, where buildings have been largely destroyed. "Vovchansk has been reduced to rubble. But Kupiansk still has substantial buildings that can be used as shelters and launch sites. In general, there is still infrastructure there that can be put to use," he noted. This remaining infrastructure allows both sides to utilize the area for defensive and offensive purposes.

Operation Veles was specifically designed to neutralize the underground gas lines that Russian forces used for covert movement. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously discussed the operation, stating that units under the Khartiia Corps advanced more than 15 kilometers underground into Russian rear positions. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces transformed the Russian tactic of using gas infrastructure to advance through Ukrainian lines.

Zelenskyy described the operation as a way to protect civilians and inflict losses on Russian occupiers. "Ukrainian warriors have successfully transformed this tactic, modernised it, and made it much more sophisticated and technologically advanced. We are protecting the lives of our people, inflicting losses on the occupiers, and achieving our objectives in the Kupiansk sector," he wrote.

Military observers are monitoring the front for any signs of renewed Russian activity. Trehubov’s report marks the first official confirmation that the specific infiltration routes through Holubivka and the pipeline network have been effectively closed. The Joint Forces Group will continue to report on the status of the Kupiansk sector as the front stabilizes.