Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Kupiansk and Pokrovsk, making gains in both Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The Ukrainian military says some Russian troops are now surrounded in basement positions inside Kupiansk.
Ukrainian forces press forward near Kupiansk
ISW reported that geolocated footage published on 30 December confirms that Ukrainian troops recently made marginal gains in the northern Kupiansk area. On the same day, a video showed four Russian soldiers operating in northwestern Myrove, west of Kupiansk, in what ISW assesses was an infiltration mission. However, the operation did not change the control of terrain or the forward edge of the battle area.
Combat intensified around Kupiansk on 29 and 30 December, with Russian attacks reported near and within the city itself, as well as in Myrove to the west, Kolodiazne to the north, Petropavlivka to the east, and Pishchane to the southeast. Russian sources, including the Russian Ministry of Defense, claimed that Ukrainian forces launched counterattacks near Palamarivka and Velyka Shapkivka to the northwest, and near Blahodativka to the southwest.
A Kremlin-linked milblogger added that additional footage confirms Ukrainian troops advanced farther into Kupiansk than previously acknowledged by Russian sources. The milblogger also claimed that poor weather conditions are allowing Ukrainian forces to exploit their numerical superiority while impairing Russian drone operations.
Kyiv troops advance northwest of Pokrovsk
Ukrainian forces also made progress in the Pokrovsk direction. Geolocated footage from 29 December shows Russian drone operators of the 35th Motorized Rifle Brigade striking Ukrainian forces in southeastern Hryshyne, northwest of Pokrovsk. This indicates that Ukrainian troops had recently advanced in that area.
Meanwhile, Russian forces attacked on multiple axes around Pokrovsk. Battles took place within the city and near surrounding settlements — including Bilytske, Rodynske, and Sukhetske to the north; Krasnyi Lyman, Rivne, and Novoekonomichne to the northeast; Myrnohrad to the east; Udachne, Molodetske, and Kotlyne to the southwest; Serhiivka to the west; and Hryshyne to the northwest — on 29 and 30 December. A Russian milblogger claimed that Ukrainian forces were counterattacking near Rodynske.
Earlier gains
In its 29 December report, ISW had noted that Ukraine recently advanced near Siversk, Oleksandrivka, and Huliaipole, while the Russians advanced in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and in Donetsk Oblast near Pokrovsk, and in the Dobropillia tactical area.
