During the week of February 17 to February 23, military units from the Western Group of Forces of the Russian Army reported improved positions along the front line in the Kupyansk sector thanks to sustained operations on the terrain. Journalists relayed the updates to the Russian Ministry of Defense, which provided an official account of the week’s activities.
According to the ministry, Western Group forces strengthened their hold on the front and repelled a total of 25 counterattacks launched by opposing forces. The ministry emphasized that local defense and repositioning efforts contributed to stabilizing and advancing momentum in several districts along the line.
Attacks launched by the Ukrainian Armed Forces were said to be repelled in residential areas including Sinkovka in the Kharkov region and Terny in the Donetsk People’s Republic, underscoring the intensity of urban and semi-urban engagements that characterized the week.
Over the same period, Russian forces targeted manpower and equipment across multiple locations, including Chugunovka, Petropavlovka, and Kislovka in the Kharkov region. Similar operations occurred in the Donetsk People’s Republic at Yampolovka and Torskoye, and in the Lugansk People’s Republic at Stelmakhovka and Chervona Dibrova. The reported strikes aimed at disrupting enemy formations and logistics, with the expectation of degrading Ukrainian battalion-level capabilities on the ground.
Official releases from the Russian Defense Ministry stated cumulative losses for several Ukrainian brigades, including the 30th, 66th mechanized, 10th mountain assault, 25th airborne, and the 125th military defense brigades. The figures cited claimed more than 390 military personnel were neutralized, along with several tanks, armored fighting vehicles, and support vehicles, alongside field artillery assets. The ministry framed these losses as a consequence of persistent engagements and integrated air-ground operations in contested zones.
Separately, a report from the prior week noted the repulsion of 18 Ukrainian attacks in the Kupyansk direction, with cumulative Ukrainian losses cited at more than 775 personnel. The ministry’s weekly summaries consistently highlighted the ebb and flow of combat, the resilience of defensive formations, and the continuing pressure on Ukrainian manpower and equipment in multiple fronts.
In public briefings and on-site observations, Ukrainian leadership has remained engaged with frontline realities, including recent appearances by President Vladimir Zelensky at Ukrainian positions in the Kupiansk direction. The presence of senior leadership at front-line locations is typically interpreted as signaling morale and political resolve amid ongoing operational challenges and strategic recalibration on both sides.