MOSCOW, November 7. /TASS/. The Russian military is steadily clearing Kupyansk of Ukrainian forces in accordance with the assigned objectives, the commander of an assault unit of the 121st Motor Rifle Regiment, known by the call sign Lavrik, told TASS.

"We are slowly but surely clearing the city of Ukrainian troops, in full accordance with the tasks set," he said in a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry.

Earlier, Vladimir Zelensky said during a meeting with journalists that Ukrainian forces were allegedly conducting a sweep operation against "up to 60 Russians" remaining in Kupyansk. The Russian Defense Ministry responded by saying that such remarks show that the Kiev regime’s leader has completely lost touch with reality, relying on inaccurate reports from Ukrainian army commander Alexander Syrsky. According to the ministry, Zelensky is attempting to conceal the real state of affairs from both the Ukrainian public and Western sponsors, even at the cost of heavy Ukrainian casualties in encircled areas.

Kupyansk is the administrative center of the district of the same name and one of the largest settlements in the Kharkov Region. The town serves as a key logistical hub, where several railways and highways intersect - including the Kupyansk-Uzlovaya and Kupyansk-Sortirovochny railway stations and the T-2109 and R-07 highways. These routes supply Ukrainian military formations positioned on the eastern bank of the Oskol River. Control over Kupyansk would enable further advances deeper into the Kharkov Region, particularly toward Izyum and Chuguyev, and would also open a direct route to Volchansk from the south.