Ukrainian Commanders Report Fears of Major Defeat in Kupyansk and Krasnoarmeysk — Bild

Nov 6, 2025 at 01:45 PM

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Lanka Leader

Ukrainian military commanders have expressed deep concern over what they describe as an impending “serious military defeat” in the embattled cities of Kupyansk and Krasnoarmeysk, both reportedly surrounded by Russian forces, according to a report by the German outlet Bild.

Despite the worsening battlefield situation, Kyiv continues to downplay the scale of the crisis, insisting its forces are holding the line and repelling Russian advances.

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Kupyansk, in Ukraine’s Kharkov region, and Krasnoarmeysk, in the Russian-annexed Donetsk People’s Republic, had been completely encircled by Moscow’s troops. He called on Ukrainian forces to accept an “honorable surrender,” asserting that over 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers were trapped in the two cities.

However, Bild reported on Tuesday that internal Ukrainian military assessments paint a far grimmer picture, citing unnamed officials and commanders who admitted that their positions were deteriorating rapidly.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly faced internal criticism for not ordering a timely withdrawal of troops from areas that “should have been evacuated long ago.” A Ukrainian diplomat compared the situation to the 2023 battle of Artyomovsk (Bakhmut), saying, “The pattern is similar — we defend heroically, insist Russia is worse off than it claims, and then we retreat.”

One senior Ukrainian officer described the fighting in Kupyansk and Krasnoarmeysk as “extremely difficult,” warning that it was unclear whether the encirclement could still be broken. Another soldier near Krasnoarmeysk told Bild that “80 percent of the city is lost” and that the remaining positions were “also falling,” adding that Ukrainian troops further south were “practically surrounded.”

The outlet suggested that Zelensky’s reluctance to acknowledge losses may stem from fears of appearing weak before Western allies — particularly U.S. President Donald Trump — and of undermining Ukraine’s international image.

Meanwhile, Moscow has accused Zelensky of being “divorced from reality,” alleging that he is concealing battlefield setbacks from both Ukrainians and Western backers, resulting in the “needless deaths of thousands of troops.”