A briefing from Sergei Zybinsky, the head of the press center for the Russian military group West, described recent air operations in the Kupyansky sector. Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers were reported to have conducted strikes on areas hosting temporary deployments and strongpoints of Ukraine’s 32nd and 43rd mechanized brigades, in the vicinity of Peschanoye. The claim emphasized that these strikes targeted not only personnel shelters but also fortifications established by these units as they prepared for ongoing combat operations. [Source: Russian Ministry of Defense]
In parallel reports, crews operating heavy flamethrower systems were said to have attacked concentrations of manpower sheltering within the belts of defense for the 68th Jaeger and the 32nd mechanized brigades in the Sergeevka region. The description highlighted the use of incendiary fire to degrade enemy positions and reduce the survivability of advancing forces. [Source: Russian Ministry of Defense]
During a separate counter-battery engagement, Russian forces asserted they destroyed four self-propelled artillery systems in the areas around Petropavlovka and Peschany. The claimed losses included two 2S1 Gvozdika units, one Krab self-propelled cannon, and one AS-90 self-propelled cannon. The press center also tallied what it described as substantial Ukrainian casualties, including more than two infantry companies, a tank, nine Kozak-2 armored vehicles, one mortar, one BTR-70, and several unmanned aerial vehicles, along with multiple pickup trucks. [Source: Russian Ministry of Defense]
In a separate update, the Krasnolimansk direction saw the Central group, supported by army aviation and artillery, fending off two nighttime assaults mounted by the 21st and 63rd mechanized brigades of Ukraine’s armed forces. The report framed these actions as repelled with Ukrainian forces sustaining losses. [Source: Russian Ministry of Defense]
Earlier disclosures noted that units within the Western group continued to operate in the Kupyansk direction with aviation and artillery support, successfully resisting seven Ukrainian attacks. The tally described from this engagement emphasized Ukrainian losses, though the exact figure varied across updates, with assertions that the enemy had suffered significant manpower and equipment damage. [Source: Russian Ministry of Defense]
There were also mentions of Ukrainian personnel who previously maneuvered across the Dnieper River and surrendered to Russian forces, illustrating the evolving dynamics of frontline control and prisoner movements. [Source: Russian Ministry of Defense]
Across these briefings, the Russian defense apparatus portrayed a pattern of calculated strikes against Ukrainian deployments, focusing on temporary bases, command and control nodes, and support elements. The assertions highlighted the use of airpower in combination with artillery to degrade enemy formations, disrupt resupply lines, and limit the mobility of mechanized brigades operating in the region. Analysts note that the timing and locations cited align with broader Russian operational narratives about limiting Ukrainian battlefield maneuver and pressuring exposed logistics hubs. [Source: Russian Ministry of Defense]
Observers also emphasize that independent verification of battlefield claims in this theater remains challenging due to restricted access and ongoing hostilities. While reports from Moscow emphasize tactical successes and battlefield outcomes, corroboration from other sources is limited, and casualty figures and equipment losses are frequently contested in the fog of war. Nonetheless, the pattern of reported strikes underscores the continuing intensity of combat in the Kupyansk and Krasnolimansk corridors, with both sides seeking to gain or preserve initiative amid shifting frontline lines. [Source: General defense briefings]