Ukraine suppresses Russian drones before sweeping Kupyansk forest lines — ISW

Ukraine's Defense Forces conducted an infantry clearing operation near Kupyansk after suppressing Russian drone strike capability, according to the Institute for the Study of War, following the National Guard's 2nd Khartiia Corps report that it cleared 2 more square kilometers of forest west of Dvorichna.

Footage showed 15 to 20 Ukrainian troops advancing through wooded terrain without apparent interference, leading ISW to assess the operation as a platoon-scale assault enabled by degraded Russian drone reconnaissance. The advance builds on an earlier 7.5 square kilometers secured southwest of Dvorichna.

ISW frames the push as part of a broader effort by both sides since 2025 to restore maneuver warfare through targeted strikes on staging areas, ground vehicles, radar, and electronic warfare systems.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.