Russian Military Bloggers Report Significant Losses in Kupiansk, Contradicting Official Claims

Bloggers Detail Ukrainian Gains

On December 24, 2025, several Russian pro-war military bloggers, notably the Telegram channel Rybar, which is considered close to the Russian Defense Ministry, reported that Ukrainian forces have largely re-established control over Kupiansk, a strategically important railway hub in Ukraine's Kharkiv region. These accounts directly contradict earlier official Russian statements regarding the city's status.

According to Rybar, Russian forces have lost 'a significant part of the bridgehead' on the western bank of the Oskil River, which bisects Kupiansk. The reported losses include the villages of Kondrashivka, Radkivka, and Moskovka (Mirove). The channel also indicated that Ukrainian troops have re-established control near the local milk-canning plant and continue to hold the settlements of Kucherivka and Petropavlivka. Another pro-war Telegram channel, Two Majors, echoed these claims, stating that key nearby settlements were not under Russian control.

Criticism of Russian Military Command

The military bloggers' reports included sharp criticism of the Russian military command, alleging 'false reporting up the chain of command' and 'inflated battlefield reports presented to Vladimir Putin'. One blogger specifically noted that Kindrashivka, Radkivka, and Myrove were the only settlements Russian forces controlled prior to recent Ukrainian counterattacks, despite official claims of controlling 11 settlements in the area. The criticism extended to accusations that the command fabricated gains and prematurely redeployed reserves, leaving Kupiansk vulnerable to Ukrainian incursions.

Contradicting Earlier Russian Claims

These recent admissions from pro-war bloggers stand in stark contrast to previous official Russian statements. On November 20, 2025, Russia's Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, reportedly informed President Putin that Russian forces had taken control of Kupiansk. Furthermore, President Putin himself claimed on December 12, 2025, that Russian forces had surrounded Kupiansk, and on November 4, 2025, he asserted that the city was 'practically in the hands of Russian forces'.

Ukrainian Counter-Offensive and Current Situation

Ukrainian officials have consistently disputed Russian claims regarding Kupiansk. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the outskirts of Kupiansk on December 12, 2025, to demonstrate that Ukrainian forces maintained control over most of the city. On December 17, 2025, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi stated that Ukrainian forces controlled nearly 90% of Kupiansk.

More recently, on December 25, 2025, Bohdan Tyshchenko, head of unmanned systems for Ukraine's 125th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade, reported that Russian troops remaining in Kupiansk are few in number, blocked, and unable to reinforce their positions, with the city's situation under control. Earlier, on December 21, 2025, Ukrainian military spokesman Viktor Trehubov indicated that Russian forces in Kupiansk were 'in full encirclement and gradually laying down arms'. The reports from Russian bloggers also mentioned significant casualties, with one unit reportedly losing nearly 150 soldiers in December alone.