By Leo Chiu

Copyright kyivpost

The 10th Army Corps called the city a “strategic target” for Moscow in its Friday update, describing the fighting as “dynamic.”

It said Russia has been accumulating troops in surrounding settlements and noted multiple attempts to breach Ukrainian defense lines in recent days.

“The occupiers were accumulating forces near Radkivka and Holubivka; the gas pipeline was damaged and flooded. Attempts to cross the Oskil River by boat – most were destroyed by artillery, mortars, and [first-person view] FPV drones,” the update says.

Radkivka and Holubivka are settlements located immediately north of Kupyansk, currently under Russian occupation.

Lt. Col. Oleksiy Belsky, spokesperson of the Dnipro Military District, echoed the 10th Army Corps’ statement in a comment to RBC Ukraine.

Belsky said Russia used the pipeline referenced in the Corps’ update to transport troops, but it has since been flooded by Kyiv troops to prevent such movements.

Belsky, citing testimonies from captured troops, said each Russian infiltration group consists of two to nine soldiers tasked with specific assignments, such as capturing a five-story building at a certain address.

Open-source battlefield map DeepState UA suggests that Russian troops managed to establish a foothold within the northern end of the city itself by Aug. 5, an area that has grown to encroach on northern settlements within Kupyansk over the course of the month.

However, the 10th Army Corps disputed claims of Russian control over Kupyansk, calling them “premature.”

“Despite propaganda and ‘color maps,’ what the enemy calls controlled is the zone of battles and work of Ukrainian assault groups. The fighting is dynamic – spreading claims about their ‘full control’ is premature,” it said.

Belsky also echoed the Corps’ updates, saying “information about hostilities in the city center is not true.”

The 10th Army Corps also claimed a structural breakdown within the Russian troops in the area, citing testimonies from those captured.

“Our soldiers are conducting counter-sabotage measures, blocking and destroying the enemy in forests, country estates and on the outskirts of the city. The prisoners testify to the lack of a clear battle order among the Rashists [derogatory term for Russians],” the update says.

Kyiv Post cannot independently verify the claims on command issues within the Russian military, though there have been similar accusations from captured fighters in the past in other sectors.

War crime accusations

The 10th Army Corps and Belsky both accused Moscow troops of committing war crimes.

The 10th Army Corps accused Russian troops of disguising themselves as civilians during combat, echoing similar claims from other units.

Col. Oleh Sushinsky, spokesman for Ukraine’s North Group of Forces operating in the region, also accused Russia of ordering civilian executions citing testimonies from captured Russian troops.

“They testify that they received clear orders from commanders to shoot civilians, in particular men. And to use women and children as a ‘human shield,’” Sushinsky said on a telethon, according to RBC Ukraine.

Belsky made similar accusations.

“The occupiers were also tasked with killing all civilian men aged 18 to 60. And, if necessary, using women and children as human shields. An operation to block and destroy the occupiers who infiltrated Kupyansk is currently underway,” he said.