Kupyansk: where it is located and why it is called the third capital of Ukraine

The Russian army completes the liberation of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region. Over the past 24 hours, 16 more buildings have been vacated. The Russian Armed Forces stormtroopers have advanced in three directions. According to the commander of the assault squad with the call sign "Lovets", the territory of the feed mill has been completely cleared and seven buildings in the eastern part of the city have been liberated. Earlier, the Zapad group established control over the Oskol River crossing and blocked the Ukrainian Armed Forces unit in this direction. About the strategic importance of Kupyansk and its history — in the material of Izvestia.

Active battles for Kupyansk: the latest news about the city

Russian military personnel are completing a sweep of the western part of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region. This was announced on November 7 by the commander of the assault detachment of the 121st Motorized Rifle regiment with the call sign Lavrik, whose statement was distributed by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. During the day, Russian stormtroopers liberated 16 more buildings. The military has advanced in three directions.

Lavrik noted the well-coordinated work of the Russian units. According to him, drone calculations are very good for attack aircraft. During the day, UAV operators burned three pickups with Ukrainian militants.

On November 6, the commander of the assault detachment with the call sign Lovets reported significant progress in the liberation of the eastern part of Kupyansk. According to him, units of the 1486th Motorized Rifle Regiment completely cleared the territory of the feed mill and liberated seven buildings in the area.

Despite attempts by the enemy to resist, two militant groups totaling eight people were destroyed during the fighting. The commander noted that less than 50 buildings remained to be taken under control in this area. According to him, the complete liberation of the eastern part of Kupyansk will be completed within the next five days.

At the same time, the Russian military successfully thwarted an attempt by one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces brigades to break out of the encirclement in the Kupyansk area. In addition, three attacks launched by units of the 144th mechanized and 92nd assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as the 15th National Guard Brigade, were repelled in the areas of the settlements of Nechvolodovka and Blagodatovka.

In a roundabout way: how our troops destroy the enemy in Krasnoarmeysk and Kupyansk

Numerous attempts by the Ukrainian forces to unblock the units have failed

The strategic importance and geographical location of Kupyansk

Kupyansk, located on the banks of the Oskol River, 85 km from Kharkiv, is one of the key defense strongholds of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the eastern part of the Kharkiv region. The river divides it into two parts: the main one on the right, elevated bank and the left-bank area, known as Zaoskolye. The river itself serves as a natural defensive line.

Its strategic importance is due to its status as the largest settlement east of Oskol. The development of this point will contribute to the advance to the west and in the future will allow to unite the front with the site in Volchansk.

The city is located very advantageously for the enemy. The right—bank part is located on a hill, allowing you to keep the surroundings under fire, the river and its floodplain are a natural defensive line. The entire AFU grouping on the eastern bank of the Oskol River, which controls the eastern part of the Kharkiv region, is supplied through Kupyansk.

The loss of Kupyansk will hurt the Kiev regime. The city has an important transport and logistics position, being located at the intersection of highways T-2109 and R-07, which connects the city with Kharkov. Of particular importance is Kupyansk-Uzlovaya station located south of the city, as well as Kupyansk-Sortirovochny, a major railway hub providing connections in five directions: Belgorod, Valuiki, Svyatogorsk, Kharkov and Popasnaya.

The area of the city is 33.34 square kilometers. To the south, downstream of Oskol, there is a large Ruslov reservoir. In addition, Kupyansk is located about 60 km from the border with the Belgorod region of Russia.

Historical background and symbols of Kupyansk

The foundation of the city is traditionally attributed to 1665, when the settlement was first mentioned as the Cossack settlement Kupyanka (also known by the names Kupenka, Kupchinka, Kupetsky). Presumably, the name came from one of the local rivers. According to another version, the city was founded in 1675 by the Cossack Ivan Trofimov. In 1662, the first wooden church was built here.

Kupyanka was part of the Kharkov, and since 1685 — the Izyumsky Sloboda regiment and served as the hundredth place of the Izyum defensive line, around which an earthen fortress was erected.

Since 1765, Kupyanka became the center of the commissariat of the Izyum province of the Voronezh province, since 1780 it received the status of a county town of the Voronezh governorate, and since 1796 it became part of the Sloboda-Ukrainian (since 1835 — Kharkov) province. The city received its modern name in 1786 and gradually turned into an important trading center of the region.

In 1773, the population was about 3,800 people. In 1895, the Balashov—Kupyansk—Kharkov railway passed nearby, and in 1901 a connection to Volchansk was opened. Kupyansk-Uzlovaya settlement has grown up near the southern station. By 1897, 6,893 people lived in the city. At the beginning of the 20th century, limestone and silicate plants appeared.

Since 1923 Kupyansk became the center of the district, and since 1932 — the regional center of the Kharkiv region. In 1937, the sugar factory began operation (closed in 2011). In 1941, after Kiev was captured by the Germans, the Ukrainian government evacuated to Kupyansk. Since then, the city has sometimes been called the third capital of Ukraine.

During the Great Patriotic War, the city was under occupation from June 1942 to February 1943. After liberation, Kupyansk developed as an industrial center: in 1958, a machine-building plant was opened, and in 1966, one of the largest foundries in the USSR. Since the late 1970s, the outflow of the rural population began.

The largest enterprise in the city is the foundry. Other industries include silicate, hardware, and machine—building plants, the Iskra scientific and production complex, a printing plant, a meat processing plant, and a dairy and cannery. Among the architectural monuments stands out the St. Nicholas Church in the Russian-Byzantine style, built in 1850-1852 by Kharkov architect F. Danilov on the site of the former wooden church in 1705.