Russian commanders in the Kupiansk sector are ordering their soldiers to retake positions from which they retreated under Ukrainian fire, threatening them with execution if they refuse, Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces claimed on Feb. 4, citing intelligence reports.
Ukrainian soldiers forced Russian troops to abandon forward positions near a settlement in the Kupiansk sector following intensive assaults, the unit said.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
Russian forces intensified their assault on Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast in September 2024, pushing toward the city's industrial outskirts in the northeast. Ukrainian forces repelled several attempts to enter the town throughout December.
For months, Russia has sought to establish a foothold along the eastern bank of the Oskil River, attempting to outflank Ukrainian defenses and open the way for a rear attack on Kupiansk. The front line now lies just 2 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the town.
President Volodymyr Zelensky recently appointed Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi, the commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces, to lead the Khortytsia group as Ukraine works to counter Russian advances in the sector.
Western and Ukrainian officials have pointed to poor morale among Russian troops since the outbreak of the full-scale war. Moscow employs the infamous "human wave" tactics in which its troops overwhelm Ukrainian defenders through sheer numbers despite suffering heavy losses.
Reports of Russian commanders executing their soldiers have also surfaced amid some of the heaviest battles of the war, for example, during Russia's siege of the stronghold town of Avdiivka in late 2023.
Martin Fornusek
