'Like whack-a-mole': Ukrainian troops hunt Russian soldiers through Kupiansk streets

The Washington Post reported the information.

Russian soldiers attempting to infiltrate the city through an abandoned gas pipeline are being systematically hunted by Ukrainian drone operators in what commanders describe as "search and destroy" missions. Washington Post reporters witnessed one such operation from an underground command center, where analysts from Ukraine's Khartia Brigade tracked a lone Russian soldier who had survived an earlier drone strike that killed his unit. After seeking shelter in an abandoned house, smoke from his fire revealed his position, and he was killed by a drone-dropped bomb.

"He's cooked!" shouted a Ukrainian soldier as the strike landed.

This intense pursuit has become central to Ukraine's strategy for maintaining control over most of Kupiansk, marking a dramatic reversal after the city appeared on the verge of falling last summer. Russia initially captured the strategically important rail hub in 2022 but lost it during a Ukrainian counteroffensive later that year. Moscow intensified efforts to retake the city in 2024 as Ukrainian defenses weakened and peace talks began.

The fight for Kupiansk represents one of Kyiv's few concrete battlefield victories over the past year, demonstrating that Ukrainian forces can still push back Russian troops when properly equipped and organized. Moscow's willingness to expend massive resources in manpower and equipment indicates that Vladimir Putin's war aims extend beyond the Donbas region currently at the focus of peace negotiations.

"We understand that we need to create proper conditions to give our president more leverage at the talks, because our foreign policy is primarily based on our success on the battlefield," said Col. Maksym Golubok, chief of staff for the 2nd National Guard Corps. Ukraine's success in Kupiansk, he added, "gives our president one of those cards."

Last summer, Russia exploited weak points in Ukrainian defenses while Kyiv focused on intense fighting in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian commanders urgently warned top military officials that without skilled reinforcements, the city would be encircled and fall.

"'If you don't give us units with trained assault troopers, we are going to lose Kupiansk,'" recalled Maj. Yuriy Fedorenko, commander of Ukraine's 429th Unmanned Systems Brigade. "We were on the brink of losing it. Thank God, they heard us."

Ukraine rushed specialized drone and infantry units to the city, regaining the initiative. Now engaged in clearing fewer than 100 Russian soldiers still scattered through the city center, Ukrainian forces are also working to stem the flow of new arrivals crossing the Oskil River that bisects Kupiansk.

Russia never established defensive positions in the city, according to Col. Serhii Sidorin of the Khartia Brigade. "They didn't take the city, they infiltrated," he said.

Russian forces continue attempting to increase their presence daily, sending troops across the river on inflatable rafts or through the empty gas pipeline running beneath it. Drone footage shows dead Russian soldiers scattered around pipeline exits and the river.

"It's like whack-a-mole," Golubok said. "We're holding a hammer and those moles keep popping up."

Last month, days after Putin falsely announced that Russian forces had seized Kupiansk, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy broadcast a video from the city's entrance refuting the claim. On January 10, Khartia soldiers raised a Ukrainian flag over the city administration building where Russian troops once held positions.

Russia's false claim was an attempt to justify personnel losses and draw out peace talks through fabricated territorial gains, Fedorenko said. "How much did Putin spend on the war? How many of his own soldiers did he kill?" he asked. "Those losses can only be justified with a lie. Kupiansk is one element of his propaganda."

Russian troops travel as far as nine miles underground through the pipeline, sometimes using electric scooters to speed their journeys, Ukrainian commanders said. Some emerge showing signs of chemical poisoning. Captured prisoners revealed the pipeline route during interrogations last summer, helping Ukraine identify and attack exit points.

Anton Shmyhal, 25, commander of Achilles' 1st Battalion, said his team studied building plans to destroy not only pipeline exits but also nearby hiding spots. In November, they targeted underwater sections with 33-pound bombs dropped from drones, halting movement for two weeks before Russia built new entrances.

"If they have anything, it's human resources. The way I use drones, they use humans," said Abat, a lieutenant colonel in Khartia who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons. "They're being pushed out of the pipeline, just to try to test us. If they throw in 10, they know maybe two will get to a position."

Fully clearing the city could take another six months due to the complex nature of searching for hidden soldiers while up to 100 Russian drones circle overhead, Abat said. Soldiers can hide in basements or small crevices, then ambush Ukrainian troops.

"Kupiansk is a big city. Even 100 people in basements, you can search for them for months," said Vitalii, a drone unit commander in the Achilles Brigade. Still, he views preventing Russia from moving heavy equipment into the city and restricting existing troops to roughly one square kilometer as "obviously an extensive and notable victory."

"Unfortunately," he added, "there are not more of them."