Battle of Kupiansk

The Battle of Kupiansk was the third battle of the Ukrainian Kharkiv counteroffensive that began on September 8, 2022 and ended on September 16, 2022. A Financial Times article on 28 September depicted the battle and the Ukrainian advance preceding it as "The 90km journey that changed the course of the war in Ukraine."[13]

Battle of Kupiansk
Part of the 2022 Ukrainian Kharkiv counteroffensive of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Russian casualties and damaged equipment in the aftermath of the battle
Date8–16 September 2022
(1 week and 1 day)
Location
Kupiansk, Kupiansk Raion, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine
Result Ukrainian victory
Belligerents
 Russia  Ukraine
Commanders and leaders
Russia Roman Berdnikov[1]
Russia Aleksandr Lapin
Hennadiy Matsegora[2]		 Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi[3]
Andriy Nikolaychuk † [4]
Units involved

 Russian Armed Forces

 Ukrainian Armed Forces

Security Service of Ukraine

National Guard of Ukraine[10]
Casualties and losses
Ukrainian claim:
130+ killed,
16 captured[11][12]		 Unknown

Background
Main articles: Russian occupation of Kharkiv Oblast and 2022 Ukrainian Kharkiv counteroffensive
Further information: Battle of Balakliia

Kupiansk was occupied by Russian forces from 27 February 2022 to 10 September 2022.[14] Although the Ukrainian army had destroyed a railway bridge to slow the Russian advance three days earlier, Kupiansk Mayor Hennadiy Matsehora, member of the Opposition Platform — For Life party, surrendered the city to the Russian Army in exchange for a cessation of hostilities, as the Russians threatened to take the city by force. As a result, the Ukrainian government indicted Matsehora for treason the next day.[15][16] On 28 February 2022, Matsehora was arrested by Ukrainian authorities.[17] Later Kupiansk became the de facto seat of the Russian-backed Kharkiv military-civilian administration.

Battle

Prior to the battle, the Ukrainian general staff claimed an attack on a Russian military base in Kupiansk on September 5 killed 100 Russian soldiers.[18]

On 8 September 2022, following a large-scale Ukrainian counteroffensive capturing over 20 settlements in just days, Russian occupation authorities in the city claimed that Russian forces began to defend Kupiansk.[19][20][21] Ukrainian soldiers of the Kraken Regiment entered the outskirts of Kupiansk on September 9, recapturing the city council building by the next morning.[22] Fighting damaged much of the town's center. Later that day, Ukrainian officials announced that Kupiansk had been liberated.[23]

Maxim Gubin, the pro-Russian mayoral replacement for Matsehora, had fled to Russia following Ukraine retaking Kupiansk.

Russian forces evacuated to the eastern side of the Oskil River, in the town of Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi, and blew the connecting bridge to the town while retreating.[24] During the battle for the adjacent city, Russian forces bombed the local meat factory of Kupiansk, killing around a thousand pigs.[25] Ukrainian forces recaptured the settlement on September 16.[24] In the immediate aftermath of the battle, the bodies of Russian soldiers were strewn around both Kupiansk and Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi.[26]

Aftermath
City council after the battle, February 2023.
Abandoned vehicles in Kupiansk after the battle.

Following the Ukrainian liberation of the towns, Russian forces have shelled Kupiansk since.[27] The first strikes against the town were on September 13, which killed two civilians.[28] The next day, one person was wounded from airstrikes.[29] On September 18, five people were injured from shelling in Kupiansk.[30] Two days later, two civilians were killed and five injured after Russian shelling on the city.[31] On September 22, a woman and two children were injured by shelling.[32] On September 27, five civilians were injured after a Russian strike on a church in Kupiansk.[33]

On October 3, Russian shelling of a hospital in Kupiansk killed a doctor and injured a nurse.[34] One woman was injured on October 5 by an airstrike.[35]

On September 26, Russian forces shelled a convoy of civilians escaping the villages of Kurylivka and Pishchane, near Kupiansk, killing 26 civilians. Signs of torture were discovered in Russian administration centers throughout the city.[36]

See also

References
  1. "Командувача військ західного округу РФ Берднікова зняли з посади після успішного наступу ЗСУ на Харківщині". Цензор.НЕТ (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  2. "In Kupiansk, in northeast Ukraine, liberation came at a steep cost". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  3. Ministry of Defence of Ukraine [@DefenceU] (10 September 2022). "[...] The Commander of Ukrainian Land Forces, Hero of Ukraine, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi is leading the Ukrainian offensive in this sector. [...]" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022 – via Twitter.
  4. "Залишилася дружина та маленькі діти: вшануймо хвилиною мовчання військовослужбовця Андрія Ніколайчука". 19 September 2022.
  5. "IL Ukrainassa: Kraken-yksikkö työnsi venäläiset ulos Kupianskista – taisteluissa kaduilla juoksi sikoja ja venäläiset pakenivat metsään".
  6. Gerashchenko, Anton [@Gerashchenko_en] (11 September 2022). "Warriors of the 92nd Mechanized Brigade found an army electrician's "Manual for taking over the world" in Russian positions near Balakliia, Kharkiv Oblast. All the notes were made by hand. Straightaway we can see the power of the Russian army. t.co/Py9vKuR6NI" (Tweet). Retrieved 5 December 2022 – via Twitter.
  7. "Occupiers say they have left Izium and other settlements, while Ukrainian troops show a video: We are in Izium".
  8. "Ukrainian forces capture key town as counteroffensive gathers pace: Kyiv". Newsweek. 10 September 2022.
  9. "IL Ukrainassa: Kraken-yksikkö työnsi venäläiset ulos Kupianskista – taisteluissa kaduilla juoksi sikoja ja venäläiset pakenivat metsään".
  10. "Ukrainian serviceman on liberated Kupiansk: Collaborators in basements, children taken to Russia".
  11. "Armed Forces of Ukraine advance on Kramatorsk front, killing up to 100 occupiers near Kupiansk General Staff".
  12. "IL Ukrainassa: Kraken-yksikkö työnsi venäläiset ulos Kupianskista – taisteluissa kaduilla juoksi sikoja ja venäläiset pakenivat metsään".
  13. "The 90km journey that changed the course of the war in Ukraine". Financial Times(FT). 28 September 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  14. "In Kharkiv region, mayor admits to handing over city to occupiers". Pravda. February 27, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  15. "Mayor of Kupiansk who surrendered his city to invaders indicted for treason". Ukrayinska Pravda. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  16. "In Kharkiv region, mayor admits to handing over city to occupiers". Ukrayinska Pravda. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  17. "Мера Куп'янська, який здав місто окупантам, затримано – джерело" [Mayor of Kupyansk, who surrendered the city to the occupiers, has been detained – source]. LIGA (in Ukrainian). 2022-02-28. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  18. "Armed Forces of Ukraine advance on Kramatorsk front, killing up to 100 occupiers near Kupiansk General Staff". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-12-05.
  19. https://liveuamap.com/en/2022/8-september-occupation-authorities-in-kupiansk-say-that-russian
  20. "Armed Forces of Ukraine advance on Kramatorsk front, killing up to 100 occupiers near Kupiansk General Staff".
  21. https://liveuamap.com/en/2022/8-september-representative-of-general-staff-of-armed-forces
  22. Hunder, Max; Hnidyi, Vitalii (2022-09-10). "Russia gives up key northeast towns as Ukrainian forces advance". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-12-05.
  23. "Ukraine's daring counteroffensive, war reparations, and negotiations – an interview with Mykhailo Podolyak". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-12-05.
  24. "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  25. "IL Ukrainassa: Kraken-yksikkö työnsi venäläiset ulos Kupianskista – taisteluissa kaduilla juoksi sikoja ja venäläiset pakenivat metsään". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  26. "IL Ukrainassa: Kraken-yksikkö työnsi venäläiset ulos Kupianskista – taisteluissa kaduilla juoksi sikoja ja venäläiset pakenivat metsään". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  27. "In Kupiansk, in northeast Ukraine, liberation came at a steep cost". Washington Post. 2022-10-15. Retrieved 2022-12-05.
  28. "Three civilians killed in Russia's shelling of Kharkiv region". www.ukrinform.net. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  29. "Three wounded in enemy attacks on liberated territories of Kharkiv region". www.ukrinform.net. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  30. "Russian forces shell civilian car in Kharkiv region, killing two women". www.ukrinform.net. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  31. "Two civilians killed, nine more injured in enemy shelling of Kharkiv region". www.ukrinform.net. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  32. "Russian troops again shell liberated Kupiansk, injuring woman and two children". www.ukrinform.net. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  33. "Missile strike on Kupiansk: President's Office shows consequences of attack". www.ukrinform.net. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  34. "Zelensky: invaders shell hospital in Kupyansk, killing doctor, injuring nurse". www.ukrinform.net. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  35. "Three civilians injured in enemy shelling of Kharkiv region". www.ukrinform.net. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  36. Lâiné, Natalie Gallón,Nick Paton Walsh,Kostyantin Gak,Brice (2022-09-19). "Liberation has finally come to Ukraine's Kharkiv. But scars of Russia's brutal occupation remain". CNN. Retrieved 2022-12-05.

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