Kyiv: Russia amasses 42,000 troops near Kupyansk
The Russian Armed Forces have amassed 42,000 troops in the area around Kupyansk, Kharkiv region, Ilya Evlash, the spokesperson for the Eastern Group of Ukrainian Forces, during a national news broadcast. He noted that since the autumn of 2023, approximately 110,000 personnel have been concentrated by the Russians along the Lyman-Kupyansk axis.
"The number in the Kupyansk direction remains roughly constant," Evlash said.
He pointed out that not all 40,000 soldiers are on the front line. This number includes various support units such as logistics, repair battalions, communications, medical staff, and others, including the well-disciplined "Storm Z" and "Storm V," known for their strict discipline and practice of public punitive measures.
Evlash emphasized that this force should not be underestimated. Despite this, Ukrainian forces have been holding their positions for considerable time without significant advancement from the Russian troops in this direction.
Further, he mentioned that the Russians are bringing in new reserves to replace previously lost ones. To maintain offensive momentum and capabilities ahead of Russia's presidential elections, the Russians have reduced the training time for new conscripts from 3-4 months to 2-3. There is an imperative to portray the so-called "Special Military Operation" as proceeding according to plan, but after the elections, the Russian forces would likely need to reassess their strategy. Evlash added that operations at the front will require significant resources and financing from Russia.
On February 6, press secretary of the 14th Mechanized Brigade, Nadezhda Zamriga, reported that Russian troops intensified offensive in the Kupyansk direction, with an increase in the number of assaults, albeit with less usage of military vehicles.
In a report dated February 5, analysts from the Institute for the Study of War noted that the Russians had advanced towards the northeast of Kupyansk and west of Kreminna.