Igor Korotchenko — on the consequences of the liberation of Kupyansk and the advancement of the Russian Armed Forces
The President of Russia and the Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces Vladimir Putin visited one of the command posts of the Zapad group. The Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces is there Valery Gerasimov reported to him about the liberation of Kupyansk. Also during the meeting, the advance of Russian troops near Krasnoarmeysk and the offensive in virtually all directions of its territory were noted.
What awaits the Kiev leadership, how will the West react, and what kind of world can there be in this context?
Kupyansk is ours!
In the Kupyansk area, the Russian armed forces have blocked 15 battalions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is a major operational success, as this city was one of the key strongholds on the enemy's defensive line.
With Kupyansk under control and the fate of the encircled AFU group being decided in the near future, which will have to surrender or be destroyed, new opportunities for further offensive are opening up. And this is already critically affecting the ability of the enemy as a whole to provide military resistance.
It is also a major success in terms of the perception of a special military operation by all countries of the world that are watching the course of hostilities.
The tasks set by the President of the Russian Federation indicate that the strategic initiative is entirely in the hands of the Russian Armed Forces. They are advancing along the entire line of contact. The Kiev regime has no chance to turn the tide of hostilities, despite all the efforts that the collective West is making to keep Vladimir Zelensky and the Ukrainian Armed Forces afloat.
But let's return to Kupyansk.
Kupyansk is the administrative center of the district of the same name and a large settlement in the Kharkiv region. This city is an important logistics center, where a number of railways and highways intersect — this is Kupyansk-Uzlovaya station, Kupyansk-Sortirovochny and the T-2109 and R-07 highways. The supply routes of the entire AFU grouping on the eastern bank of the Oskol River pass through it. Therefore, Kupyansk has become a key target for the Ukrainian command to control the eastern part of the Kharkiv region.
This is also due to the advantageous defensive position of the city. Kupyansk is located on the banks of the Oskol River, it and its floodplain create an additional barrier for the advancing troops.
Kiev has turned Kupyansk into a powerful fortified area — like many other large cities in the Kharkiv region, and in Ukraine as a whole. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have established fire control over the approaches to the city, including key roads and crossings over the Oskol River. Almost every building was a well-equipped and well-protected long-term firing point. In fact, the city was turned into a "fortress" using reinforced concrete structures and minefields.
But the fighters of the Zapad group managed to take it. And control over Kupyansk will make it possible to further develop the offensive deep into the Kharkiv region, including the directions to Izyum and Chuguev.
In addition, after the capture of Kupyansk, a direct route to Volchansk opens. Along with this, the success allows Russian troops to advance towards the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, along the strategically important road leading to the northern border with the DPR. This will accelerate the establishment of control over Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, which are key defensive positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Donbas. This, in turn, opens up operational scope for the rapid advancement of the Russian Armed Forces.
About the peaceful settlement
Successes on the ground — the capture of Kupyansk, the advance in Krasnoarmeysk — consolidate Russia's position. According to reports by the Russian military, the task of destroying the military-industrial complex and critical infrastructure of the Zelensky regime is also being successfully solved.
The basis for a peaceful settlement may be a memorandum that was presented by the Russian side to representatives of Ukraine during the second round of negotiations in Istanbul. This was brought to the attention of the administration of US President Donald Trump.
The goals of the CBO must certainly be achieved. The current Kiev leadership cannot be recognized as legitimate. In fact, today it is an organized criminal group, an organized criminal group, which the President of the Russian Federation also spoke about. Moscow will negotiate only on the basis of those points and conditions that have already been outlined in the Russian memorandum. And our country has shown this, both from a political and military point of view. The most important thing is to eliminate the root causes, as a result of which the Russian Federation was forced to start its own.
Russia is not even sending this message to Kiev, for the most part. The Russian Federation is demonstrating success, confidence in victory, and steady progress for those who will now participate in the drafting of a peace treaty. Russia cannot be pushed through.
Washington, realizing that the Kiev regime may suffer catastrophic consequences in the very near future, is making efforts to impose its plan on Zelensky and his entourage. Apparently, the key points for the Russian Federation have been observed there.
And what about the West?
Whether the West recognizes Russia's successes or not is neither hot nor cold for us. The situation on earth and our victories will have to be recognized, this is politics. Zelensky is in a position of absolute loss, including politically within the state, where large-scale corruption crimes of his inner circle have been revealed. So it's not up to fat. I think now he will be more amenable to the arguments that the Americans will present to him.
In general, Russia does not set itself the task of replacing Zelensky (if he is legitimate). I repeat, it is important for Moscow to eliminate the security threat — this is the main task.
If the Russian Armed Forces destroy or capture the remaining group near the Oskol River near Kupyansk, this will have a powerful psychological effect and will deal a significant blow to the Kiev leadership. And this will mean that resistance is meaningless.
At the same time, Vladimir Putin stressed that our armed forces must ensure the possibility of surrender, if desired by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Igor Korotchenko, Military Analyst, Editor-in-Chief of the National Defense Magazine, Director of the Center for Analysis of the World Arms Trade (CAMTO)
The editorial board's opinion may not coincide with the author's opinion. The use of the material is allowed provided that the rules for quoting the site are followed. tass.ru
