Ukraine's recent significant gains in the Kupiansk direction in Kharkiv oblast prompted even Kremlin-affiliated Russian milbloggers to admit defeats and accuse their own military command of spreading false battlefield reports, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The bloggers are now publicly blaming Moscow’s chain of command for misleading Russian leadership and misrepresenting the situation to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Bloggers acknowledge Ukrainian advances and expose battlefield lies
According to ISW, one Kremlin-linked milblogger stated on 24 December that Russian troops lost a large part of their bridgehead on the west bank of the Oskil River as Ukraine retook positions north and northwest of Kupiansk in Kindrashivka, Radkivka, and on the outskirts of Myrove.
The blogger said these were the only settlements Russian forces actually held before the recent Ukrainian counterattacks — not the 11 claimed by military officials. He published a revised control map contradicting previous official reports and showing Ukrainian positions across dozens of locations including Dovhenke, Holubivka, Petropavlivka, Pishchane, and Kurylivka.
The same blogger accused Russian command of fabricating gains and withdrawing reserves too early from Kupiansk, leaving it open to Ukrainian infiltrations. He said the command made similar false claims in the Siversk direction earlier in 2024.
A prominent milblogger involved in Russian crowdfunding reported ongoing deterioration of Russian positions around Myrove, Radkivka, and Sobolivka. He said Ukraine has maintained or regained control of 182.64 square kilometers in the Kupiansk direction since 11 December.
Internal Russian criticism reaches Putin’s level
Another Kremlin-linked blogger said information about the “real state of affairs” in Kupiansk is finally emerging and accused the military of "lying to the very, very top." A Russian military journalist and retired colonel acknowledged the situation as “challenging” and said Ukrainian forces were still infiltrating positions on the Oskil’s west bank, ISW reported.
The crowdfunding-linked blogger claimed that false reports misled commanders into premature redeployments, compromising operational effectiveness. He also alleged that "rosy" claims of full Russian control led to the cancellation of combat compensation for Russian soldiers still fighting in Kupiansk.
Another blogger covering the Russian Western Grouping of Forces said commanders manipulate reports at each level to satisfy expectations from above. This system, he warned, cripples decision-making and misrepresents battlefield realities. ISW concluded that this shows how Russia’s cognitive warfare strategy — portraying Ukraine’s defenses as collapsing and Russian victories as inevitable — clashes with what is actually happening on the ground.
Kupiansk failure strains Russia’s broader war effort
ISW says Russian milbloggers also acknowledged that Moscow lacks the manpower and materiel to defeat Ukraine’s northern defensive lines while continuing offensives elsewhere. The defensive stronghold in Donetsk Oblast — known as the Fortress Belt — includes Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, and Kostiantynivka.
A blogger said Russia’s failure to capture Kupiansk or advance around Lyman has pinned down large forces, citing multiple regimental failures that have stalled Russia’s “multi-pronged offensives.” Another blogger said Ukrainian control near Kupiansk blocks Russia from leveraging gains near Lyman and Siversk toward Sloviansk, noting that Moscow lacks the troops needed both for a frontal assault and to secure its flanks.
