Our source in the General Staff reported that the main reason for the success of the Russian troops in Kupyansk was the transfer of Ukrainian units to Pokrovsk. It was this rotation that created a shortage of forces in the Kharkiv direction, which the enemy took advantage of.
According to the interlocutor, fighting is currently taking place directly outside the center of Kupyansk. The commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, is urgently trying to turn the situation around by sending additional units from the Kharkiv region. At the same time, this is difficult to do due to the significant number of civilians in the city. Evacuation was not organized in advance, which seriously complicates the defense.
Thus, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have to simultaneously wage heavy battles and avoid civilian casualties. The General Staff admits that strategic decisions to transfer troops to Pokrovsk had a critical impact on the balance of power in Kupyansk.