Russian Army Captures Town Near Vovchansk, Expands Control In Kupyansk (Videos)

File image.

On November 13, the Russian military captured a settlement to the west of Vovchansk and expanded its control in the western part of the city of Kupyansk in Kharkiv.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said that Synelnykove was captured by the Sever [North] Group of Forces. The settlement was the focal point of intense battles with Kiev forces that went on for weeks. From there, Russian troops could advance to Liman, Tsehelne, and Prilypka.

More importantly, the capture of Synelnykove secures the recent gains by the Sever Group of Forces in the southwestern part of Vovchansk.

Most of the large settlement is already under the control of Russian troops, with Kiev forces trying to hold onto their last positions in the southeastern part.

Meanwhile in Kupyansk, the Zapad [West] Group of Forces continues to expand its control in the western part of the key city.

In a statement published by the Russian MoD, a commander, who gave his call sign as “Sneg” and identified himself as being in charge of the 121st Motor Rifle Division’s assault detachment, detailed recent progress in Kupyansk.

“We are completing the task of destroying the AFU (Armed Forces of Ukraine) positions in the forest area between the streets of Senkovskaya and Prioskolnaya,” Sneg said.

“Now we’re mopping up the street of Prioskolnaya and inflicting fire damage to militants’ positions in a forest area extending along the bank of the Oskol River south of the street,” the commander continued.

“Up to 20 militants were neutralized during combat operations,” he added, noting that Kiev forces are retreating along the Oskil River.

The Russian MoD later announced in its daily briefing that the Zapad Group of Forces repelled three counterattacks by Ukraine’s 151st Mechanized Brigade, 1st and 15th National Guard Brigades close to Monachinovka, Osinovo and Nechvolodovka.

The counterattacks were meant to “unblock the encircled units,” as well as to “break through to the Oskil River and repair the destroyed crossing points,” according to the ministry.

“Up to 50 troops, one infantry fighting vehicle, two armored fighting vehicles, 14 motor vehicles, three mortars, and three electronic warfare stations were neutralized,” it said.

It’s worth noting that the drone units of the Zapad Group of Forces are still dominating all routes leading to Kupyansk, making Ukrainian operations there extremely costly.

Overall, Ukraine appears to be heading towards a double defeat in Kharkiv. Both Vovchansk and Kupyansk could get cleared by the Russian military before the end of the year. With Ukrainian defenses collapsing in the direction of Pokrovsk in Donetsk and the direction of Huliapole in Zaporozhye, Kiev will not likely be able to allocate more resources to any direction in Kharkiv, at least for the next few months.

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