Ukrainians clear the way to eliminate the Russian bridgehead at Kupiansk

Today, the biggest news comes from the Kupiansk direction.

Recently, the Ukrainian Khartiia assault regiment shared footage of them destroying one Russian vehicle after the other. Ukrainians used both conventional FPV drones as well as newly received strike drones to strike Russian trucks bringing large numbers of reinforcements and supplies into the sector. The footage also shows Ukrainians striking Russian tanks, being used in the rear as artillery pieces to fire indirectly against advancing Ukrainian formations in the Dvorichna bridgehead. The unit reports that they have successfully struck and destroyed eighty-one Russian motorized vehicles, and eleven armored vehicles.

This is taking place as Ukrainian and Colombian fighters are pushing hard into the Russian Dvorichna bridgehead, which are now beginning assaults into Dvorichna itself after splitting the bridgehead in half earlier last week. As you might remember, Ukrainians had successfully targeted and suppressed Russian drone operators in the sector, allowing Ukrainian and Colombian formations to assault and cut off Russian positions without having to worry about intense Russian drone strikes. This means that Russian forces have lost their primary way of countering Ukrainian assaults, and therefore have to fall back on striking Ukrainian units with indirect artillery fire, as well as flooding the frontline with infantry to halt the Ukrainian advance.

The shared footage showcasing the massive destruction of Russian armored and motorized vehicles deployed to these efforts is evidence of the Ukrainian response. As Russians continued to move up more forces to counter Ukrainian advances, Ukrainians successfully denied Russians this opportunity by instituting a drone fire control lockdown of Russian logistics. Russians themselves have even shared footage of the approaches to Kupiansk and the Dvorichna bridgehead. The video shows Russian soldiers on motorbikes maneuvering around the wrecks and remains of earlier reinforcements destroyed en route to the front.

Separate footage shows how Russians continue to attempt to bring up more armor into the forest on the eastern bank to provide fire support and alleviate the pressure on their strained lines. The video shows the tank moving clumsily through the densely forested area, with the crew trying to find a position to fortify and fire from. Naturally, the hulking behemoth was quickly spotted and immediately came under Ukrainian FPV kamikaze drone strikes. With the improvised armor of the tank allowing it to sustain several more hits, Ukrainians finally disabled and destroyed the vehicle with carefully placed shots by the drone operators.

Due to the Ukrainian lockdown of Russian approaches to the bridgehead, very few Russian reinforcements are actually making it through and surviving long enough to cross the Oskil River. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian-Colombian attacks continue, and the pressure is forcing Russian soldiers to emerge from their hideouts, with orders from their commanders to counterattack despite the lack of artillery support or drone cover. As the lack of fire support means that Ukrainian drone operators are not suppressed in turn, a true hunt on Russian infantry has opened in the bridgehead. Ukrainians are sharing large amounts of footage that shows them striking Russian infantry with FPV drones. Heavy and light bomber drones are flying almost around the clock, dropping grenades and bombs on Russian soldiers that move out in the open or try to find cover with inadequate overhead protection. Many Russian soldiers are now simply dying in the shrubbery, as the carnage is quickly piling up.

Overall, the Ukrainian advance continues, as Russian efforts to counterattack are being undermined before they can even begin. With Ukrainian strike and FPV drones taking out Russian reinforcements and fire support in the rear, there is very little to stop Ukrainians from continuing their advance. Simultaneously, intense FPV and bomber drone support for the Ukrainian counterattacks themselves are dealing devastating losses to the Russian soldiers still under attack in the bridgehead, softening up the Russian defenses here. While Russians could use their superiority in aviation glide bomb strikes to halt Ukrainian advances, Russians do not have unlimited availability of these assets, and with the majority of Russian resources being focused on the fighting in Donetsk, Russian forces at Kupiansk may have to make do with what little is made available to them.