ISTANBUL
Ukraine claimed on Wednesday that its forces retook control of nearly 90% of the city of Kupiansk in the country’s northeastern Kharkiv region, which Russia claimed to have captured late last month.
“Thanks to active search and strike actions, we managed to push back the (Russians) from Kupiansk and take control of almost 90% of the city's territory,” Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote on Telegram.
The statement comes as Ukrainian military officials claim the encirclement of Russian troops in the strategic settlement, which serves as an important railroad junction for the northeastern region.
On Nov. 20, Russia’s Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov told President Vladimir Putin that Russian forces took control of Kupiansk, almost 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
Ukraine denied the claim during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the frontline city last week, saying in a video address that "achieving results on the frontline is crucial so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy."
On Monday, Viktor Trehubov, a Ukrainian military spokesman, said during a television broadcast that efforts are ongoing to retake full control of the settlement, claiming that Russian troops are "effectively blocked inside the city,” according to state news agency Ukrinform.
Separately, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov told top defense officials during a televised meeting on Wednesday that Ukrainian forces were trying “unsuccessfully” to take control of Kupiansk, while also reaffirming Moscow’s control over the settlement.
“Supply routes for Ukrainian Armed Forces units passed through the city. This will expand the security zone in the Kharkiv region,” Belousov expressed.
Independent verification of both Moscow’s and Kyiv’s claims is difficult due to the over three-and-a-half-year war.