Ukraine Celebrates Gains as Two Settlements in Kharkiv Region are Liberated

On Friday, Ukraine announced that it had regained control of two villages in the northern Kharkiv region and had pushed back Russian forces in Kupiansk, a crucial railway junction that Russia had claimed to capture the previous month.

The Khartia army corps reported on social media, «Kindrashivka, Radkivka, and the surrounding areas have been liberated, including several neighborhoods in northern Kupiansk.»

At the end of November, the Russian military asserted that it had once again taken control of Kupiansk, a city it initially captured in 2022 before Ukrainian troops recaptured it later that year.

In recent months, Russia has boasted about its military progress, while Ukrainian forces find themselves under pressure.

Kyiv has consistently rejected Russian assertions of significant territorial gains, arguing that these claims are part of Moscow’s strategy to create a narrative suggesting that Ukraine is on the verge of defeat, which could influence peace talks aimed at resolving the conflict.

The United States is now urging Ukraine to consider making substantial territorial compromises as part of a broader effort to conclude the nearly four-year conflict.

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Thursday in remarks to reporters, including those from AFP, «The Russians are much more adept at operating in the information domain than any of our allies and disseminate information that does not reflect the truth.»

He added, «We need to counter this outright nonsense.»

Russia has not officially claimed the annexation of the Kharkiv region, where Kupiansk is located. According to Zelensky, the latest U.S. proposal for ending the war could involve a Russian withdrawal from these areas in exchange for Ukraine pulling back from the Donetsk region.