Russian forces appear close to being driven out of the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kupyansk, with only a small number of isolated troops remaining and even pro-Kremlin voices acknowledging the setback, according to a report.

The Kyiv Post reported Thursday that Ukrainian military officials say Russian units still inside the city are cut off from reliable supply lines and are increasingly surrendering as their position worsens.

Viktor Trehubov, head of communications for a grouping, noted that Russian forces in Kupyansk now total just several dozen, including foreign mercenaries fighting alongside Moscow’s troops.

“They are surrendering,” Trehubov said during a televised briefing aired by Ukrainian state media. “There have even been cases of foreigners — foreign mercenaries for the Russians — giving themselves up.”

Ukrainian officials indicate that the remaining Russian units are surviving mainly on limited air resupply, a tactic that cannot sustain long-term operations within the city.

“Supply by air bridge alone is not something that allows them to hold out for long,” Trehubov said.

While Russian forces continue to launch multiple daily assaults along the Kupyansk axis, Ukrainian officials state these attacks lack the manpower and reserves needed to shift the ground balance.

“At this stage, they simply do not have additional capabilities to somehow restore the situation,” Trehubov said.

The Kyiv Post also reported that Russian military bloggers and war correspondents have begun openly admitting Kupyansk is no longer under Russian control, marking a notable shift in Kremlin-aligned messaging.

“An entire wave of messages appeared saying that Kupyansk is gone,” Trehubov said. “Even Russian propagandists have switched to a line acknowledging that the city is no longer under their control.”

Ukrainian officials emphasized that Russia never fully reestablished control over Kupyansk after its September 2022 liberation, except for a brief occupation during the early invasion phase.

“In reality, it was never fully taken by them in order to be ‘lost,’ aside from a short period in 2022,” Trehubov said.

Ukrainian officials noted that Russian units’ attempts to dig in in the city’s northern districts have failed, leaving those forces unable to withdraw or receive reinforcements.

“They themselves now admit that the defense of the city by the same units that entered and tried to secure positions in the northern districts has failed,” Trehubov said.

Combat persists outside the city, particularly from positions across the Oskil River, though Ukrainian forces maintain control of Kupyansk itself.

Ukraine’s General Staff stated that Russian troops carried out five attacks in the Kupyansk sector on Dec. 24, all of which were repelled near Petropavlivka, Pishchane, Zahryzove and Kupyansk.

Trehubov said a recent Ukrainian counteroffensive further disrupted Russian efforts to stabilize the front.

“The counteroffensive came as a surprise for the enemy,” he said. “Right now, they simply lack the resources to regain control.”

Kupyansk, a city in the Kharkiv region with a prewar population of about 27,000, has long been a focal point of Russian territorial claims.

The city was briefly occupied during the opening months of Russia’s full-scale 2022 invasion before being liberated by Ukrainian forces later that year — a history Ukrainian officials say Moscow has repeatedly tried to obscure via disinformation.