Russian forces attempt infantry redeployment to advance on Kupiansk — Kharkiv troop grouping

Pavlo Shamshyn, the spokesperson for the Kharkiv Operational Tactical Group, stated this, as cited by Ukrinform.

“The Russians continue to shell Kupiansk, but there has been no progress in advancing toward or around the city. We currently control the approaches to Kupiansk from the northern side. I can say that the Russians are trying to redeploy infantry units north of Kupiansk, but they are not using armored vehicles there,” he said.

Shamshyn emphasized that Ukraine’s Defense Forces are detecting and destroying Russian infantry units and sabotage-reconnaissance groups on the approaches to Kupiansk. However, Russian troops are using drones.

“Daylight hours have increased, and we are already noticing that, for example, if in February the Russians typically used up to 500 drones in our direction, now that number has increased by one and a half times. These include both kamikaze drones and drones that drop explosives. So, if we consider the number of attacks, two-thirds involve the use of drones,” the spokesperson explained.

Russian assault attempt fails in the Kupiansk direction

The Khortytsia operational and strategic troop grouping reported that the Russian army’s attempt to launch an assault in the Kupiansk direction — an operation it had been preparing for around three weeks — ended in failure.

“Despite deploying 13 units of armored vehicles, the invaders achieved no results and did not shift the front line by even a centimeter. During the active assault phase on March 27 from 6 to 10 a.m., the Russian army conducted intense fire using artillery, mortars, MLRS, air-dropped munitions, FPV drones, and glide bombs. Around 1 p.m., they made renewed assault attempts without using armored vehicles,” the military reported.

The Khortytsia troop grouping emphasized that the Russian forces had been amassing equipment and personnel for a large-scale strike. Russia's estimated losses include 60 soldiers killed, 200 wounded, 28 seriously wounded, 12 armored combat vehicles, and 1 tank.

• On March 26, Lieutenant Colonel Vitalii Milovidov, head of the information and communications service of Ukraine's 15th Brigade, reported that the Russian army continues to exert pressure on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kharkiv region in an attempt to expand the combat zone.