Russians broke through to Kupyansk, there was a night battle: what the AFU General Staff reports

The Ukrainian military has spotted an attempted assault by Russian forces that approached Kupyansk from the north-east, the AFU General Staff has reported. According to aerial reconnaissance data, Russian tanks, MT-LB armoured personnel carriers and combat vehicles under cover of vegetation tried to stealthily break into the city. However, they were neutralised and repelled, the Ukrainian command confirmed.

The enemy was able to advance three kilometres deep into the city, but was stopped by the actions of two Ukrainian mechanised brigades. The General Staff said that Russian forces conducted four waves of attacks, but all were successfully repelled. The first official report of the incident appeared on Facebook of the Ukrainian command on the evening of 13 November, specifying that the enemy attacked with four waves of advancing vehicles, including tanks and UR-77 demining units. It was also reported that the Russian soldiers were wearing Ukrainian army uniforms.

The next day, 14 November, the General Staff reported that the Russian Armed Forces had failed to gain a foothold in Kupyansk. This settlement, which is located about 100 km away from Kharkiv, remains under the control of the AFU.

Meanwhile, Russian media refer to a representative of the occupation administration, Vitaliy Ganchev, who claims that Russian troops are holding positions around Kupyansk. Analysts of the DeepState project also described the overnight clashes: Russian forces entered the city in two columns, including a tank and a BMP, but were spotted and neutralised by the Ukrainian military. A map of the fighting indicates that Russian forces went 3 kilometres deep into the city, but were pushed out.

Video footage from the 116th and 14th Independent Mechanised Brigades of the AFU showed how reconnaissance drones recorded enemy movement and helped coordinate the response. The first attack was repelled, followed by subsequent waves. According to DeepState analysts, some Russian soldiers dispersed to homes on the outskirts of the city.

Ukraine's military confirmed the situation near Kupyansk. A volunteer of the 24th Aidar Brigade with the call sign "Osman" said that Russian troops had failed to penetrate deep into the city, while an AFU lieutenant "Alex" added that the enemy did not hold positions in Kupyansk. At the same time, he pointed to the need to get to the bottom of the incident, as analytical reports mentioned difficulties in accurately identifying positions on this section of the front.