2 hours ago
3
Ukraine says it has retaken parts of Kupiansk, a municipality successful the bluish portion of Kharkiv, which Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed to person seized connected November 21.
On Friday, arsenic President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Kupiansk and hailed the defending troops, a Ukrainian commandant said Russian forces successful the metropolis had been wholly surrounded.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 items- list 1 of 3Ukraine reports ample Russian mechanised battle successful conflict for Pokrovsk
- list 2 of 3Zelenskyy rallies cardinal allies arsenic Ukraine faces Russian and US pressure
- list 3 of 3Could an extremity to the Ukraine warfare beryllium near?
“Today, we tin accidental that the Russians successful the metropolis are wholly chopped off. For a agelong time, they couldn’t recognize what was happening. But present they cognize they are surrounded,” said Ihor Obolienskyi, caput of the Khartiia Corps of the National Guard, arsenic quoted by the Ukrainska Pravda quality outlet.
The battlefield portion said it had liberated bluish districts of the town.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy self-records a video successful beforehand of a motion that reads ‘Kupiansk’ successful the front-line municipality successful Kharkiv region, Ukraine, connected December 12, 2025 [Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters]Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed Kupiansk had been “practically successful the hands of Russian forces” connected November 4.
“Our guys, truthful to speak, were finishing mopping up isolated neighbourhoods and streets. The city’s aboriginal had already been determined astatine that point,” Putin told his National Security Council.
“The measurement of Russian lies acold exceeds the existent gait of Russian unit advances,” Oleksandr Syrskii, the Ukrainian commander-in-chief, wrote connected the Telegram messaging service. “The force uses disinformation and fake maps successful a hybrid warfare against Ukraine.”
(Al Jazeera)Meanwhile, Ukraine has continued to combat successful its contested eastbound metropolis of Pokrovsk this week, contempt Russian claims to person seized it entirely.
“The defence of Pokrovsk continues, our troops power astir 13 quadrate kilometres [five quadrate miles] successful the bluish portion of the city,” Syrskii said connected Tuesday, calling it an “extremely hard phase” of the fight.
Geolocated footage showing Russian drones striking determination connected Wednesday confirmed the beingness of Ukrainian troops.
Russia had claimed implicit power implicit Pokrovsk connected December 2.
Syrskii aboriginal explained that Ukrainian forces had tactically retreated from Pokrovsk, but fought their mode backmost in.
“At a definite signifier successful the autumn, determination were nary much of our troops successful Pokrovsk owed to constricted capabilities,” helium told Ukrainian media executives connected Wednesday.
He besides said Ukrainian forces held 54sq km (21 quadrate miles) westbound of the city.
Ukrainian forces were besides resisting Russian advances successful Myrnohrad, eastbound of Pokrovsk, Syrskii said.
The 2 cities are astir surrounded by Russian forces, with proviso lines and evacuation routes moving lone done a constrictive cervix to the west.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said their troops were inactive repelling attacks successful Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad connected Thursday, arsenic good arsenic successful outlying villages adjacent the 2 towns.
(Al Jazeera)Russian narratives were portion of a run to unit Ukraine to motion a bid statement that United States President Donald Trump presented past month, said the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based deliberation tank.
That program demands that Ukraine manus implicit Pokrovsk and the remainder of a “fortress belt” of cities successful the eastbound Donetsk region. Ukraine invested an estimated cardinal dollars past twelvemonth to support the region.
“ISW continues to measure that the Russian run to militarily prehend the remainder of Donetsk Oblast, including Ukraine’s heavy fortified Fortress Belt, would apt instrumentality astatine slightest two-to-three years, airs a important challenge, and effect successful hard and costly battles that the Russian Federation whitethorn not beryllium capable to sustain,” the ISW wrote.
(Al Jazeera)Zelenskyy said Ukraine had not agreed to immoderate territorial concessions demanded successful the archetypal plan, and was continuing to negociate the proposal, though galore observers believed it was a dormant end.
“I don’t deliberation the existent US-managed Ukraine bid process is serious,” wrote Oxford historiographer Timothy Garton Ash connected his Substack newsletter. “Trump wants the speedy win, successful effect. He is not truly bothered to recognize the halfway drivers of the conflict.”
Putin repeated connected December 9 that Russia’s wartime goals had not changed, including the seizure of Donetsk, casting uncertainty connected whether Moscow was superior astir negotiating.
Despite highly publicised seizures of villages and agrarian terrain, Russia’s advancement has been dilatory for the past 2 years of the war, figures show.
Last twelvemonth it seized 4,168sq km (1,609sq miles), equivalent to 0.69 percent of Ukraine. So acold this year, the ISW estimated it has seized 4,669sq km (1,802sq miles), oregon 0.77 percent of Ukraine. During that time, Russia has suffered an estimated 820,000 casualties.
Ukrainian servicemen hole targets with images depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin during shooting signifier betwixt combat missions successful the Kharkiv region, Ukraine, connected December 10, 2025 [Sofia Gatilova/Reuters]Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov this week said Russian manufacturing, construction, agriculture and services faced a shortage of 2.3 cardinal workers.
After weathering the archetypal 3 years of warfare well, the Russian economy slowed down successful 2025 and its treasury, cardinal slope and vigor corporations are moving retired of cash, starring to cuts successful defence spending.
The European Union aimed to woody Russia different economical stroke connected Friday, freezing 210bn euros ($246bn) successful immobilised Russian assets indefinitely alternatively than successful rolling six-month periods, successful a measurement towards utilizing the currency to concern Ukraine’s warfare effort.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops, though outgunned, person not mislaid their volition to fight, according to the grounds of a Russian battle institution commander, identified arsenic Vladimir, successful a Telegram station published by Russia’s Defence Ministry.
The ministry said helium led the seizure of the colony of Rovnoye successful Donetsk.
“The astir hard was the past combat erstwhile we were mopping up two-storey buildings,” helium told Russian Defence Ministry officials. “The force didn’t springiness up. The connection to surrender was besides refused. They held the position. The force was defeated. Somebody tried to escape. Those who managed to flight were neutralised by timely effect of our fellows from a antithetic position.”
English (US) ·