Official: Kupiansk axis sees renewed Russian assaults following troop rotations

Russian invasion forces have renewed offensive operations targeting Ukrainian defensive positions on the Kupiansk and Lyman axes in Kharkiv Oblast over the past two days. This is according to Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, who added that this follows a two-month period where the Russians focused on rotating and replenishing units that had suffered losses and a degradation of combat capability due to the effective efforts of Ukraine’s armed forces.

Syniehubov says once the Russian military had executed sufficient unit rotations, brought in replacements, and conducted training and coordination, they proceeded to launch a new series of assault efforts. The official reported 5 assaults on the Kupiansk axis and nearly 15 on the Lyman axis on 29 April, followed by 9 more assaults in the Kupiansk direction on 30 April while the Lyman front was calmer.

He assessed that the Russians are testing and probing Ukrainian defensive positions, likely aiming to identify potential weaknesses to exploit in future operations.

Syniehubov stated that Russian troop numbers in the Kupiansk area are similar to approximately 10 months ago when their last major assault operations began, with an estimated 100,000 total forces including around 50,000 combat troops. 

Additionally, the Russian military has maintained a force of 20,000 troops in the northern part of the Kharkiv region, with no changes in troop levels reported on this front for approximately 10 months, according to the local administration chief.

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