Serhiy Zgurets, director of the Defense Express information and consulting company, told this on Espreso TV.
"Kupiansk - Svatove - Kreminna. The enemy has separate tactical advances around one area - horizontally from Svatove to Borove. This is a bridgehead on the right bank of the Zherebets River, around Karmazynivka and advancing towards Novoyehorivka. This advance is tactical, insignificant," he said.
Zgurets added that the advance is taking place in the lowlands, then there are heights held by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
"Measures are being taken to prevent further advancement of the enemy in that area. The enemy is taking these measures to divert our reserves from Bakhmut and the south in order to restrain the actions of Russian troops in these areas and thus disperse our forces and resources. I think this will not happen," the expert summarized.
On July 16, Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported that the situation in the east had escalated - the Russian forces had been actively advancing in the Kupiansk direction in the Kharkiv region for two days in a row.
Maliar noted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are on the defensive in this area, there are fierce battles, and the position of the parties is changing dynamically several times a day.
On July 17, Kharkiv Regional Council member Oleksandr Skoryk said that the Russian army continues to conduct counteroffensives in the Kupiansk sector. According to him, the Russian troops are counterattacking with very powerful forces, so it is difficult for Ukrainian defenders to hold the line. Unfortunately, they are making progress, and this is confirmed by the General Staff.
Later, the Russian army's launch of an offensive in the Kupiansk sector was confirmed by the commander of the Ukrainian Army, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi. He noted that the enemy has set itself the goal of defeating Ukrainian troops in the Kupiansk area and continuing the offensive deep into our combat formations.
In its morning report on July 18, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff noted that the Russian army was attacking in the Kupiansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka directions, with 36 combat engagements taking place there over the past day.