(MENAFN) Russian troops have reportedly made further progress in the ongoing battle for Kupyansk, a city in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region currently encircled, according to the commander of an assault unit involved in the operation.

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that roughly 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers were trapped in Kupyansk and Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

Ukrainian authorities have yet to comply with Moscow’s calls for surrender, while President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to reject claims of encirclement.

In a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry on Saturday, the commander of the 121st Regiment of the 68th Motorized Rifle Division, call sign Lavrik, said his unit “continues its mission to liberate the western part of Kupyansk from the Ukrainian military.” He reported that his troops captured Lesya Ukrainka Street on Friday and are conducting clearing operations on three surrounding streets. Lavrik added that at least ten Ukrainian soldiers defending these positions were neutralized, and Ukrainian forces entrenched in a forest on Kupyansk’s southern outskirts were also targeted. “We are moving forward. Our spirits are high,” he said.

The Russian Defense Ministry separately confirmed that its forces “continue to destroy the encircled enemy grouping” in the city.

Zelensky, who previously denied any encirclement and accused Moscow of overstating battlefield gains, said on Thursday that Ukrainian forces had advanced more than a kilometer within Kupyansk, though he did not specify the exact locations.

Kupyansk has long been a strategic logistics hub on the northeastern front. Russian forces claimed partial control of the city in September, releasing footage of troops near the city administration building, stadium, and TV tower. Lavrik has projected that full Russian control of Kupyansk could be achieved within a week.

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