Vladimir Putin has faced a stinging and humiliating setback on Christmas Day, with Ukrainian forces confirming they have seized full control of the strategic city of Kupyansk. This reversal directly contradicts recent boasts from the Kremlin about securing the area and follows a stark Christmas message from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
A Hollow Victory Exposed
The development marks a dramatic shift in the narrative around this key location in Ukraine's Kharkiv region. For weeks, the Russian ruler had been proclaiming that his military had stormed and taken Kupyansk. General Sergei Kuzovlev, 58, was even awarded the top 'Hero of Russia' honour by Putin for supposedly securing the city. However, pro-war Russian military bloggers and channels have now admitted that Putin's troops have been routed in what they describe as a 'worse than critical' defeat.
Ukraine had consistently denied Russian claims of full control. In a pointed taunt, President Zelensky visited part of the city two weeks ago to underscore the falsehood of Moscow's assertions, at a time when control was still divided. According to war commentator Vladimir Romanov, the settlement is now unequivocally under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Russian Channels Decry 'Information-Psychological' Failure
The admission from loyalist Russian sources is scathing. One source bluntly labelled the loss a catastrophic failure by Putin's forces. The 'Two Majors' channel declared that the 'poorly organised psychological operation in Kupyansk failed' spectacularly. More damningly, it stated that Russian commanders, believing their own propaganda, withdrew necessary troops, meaning they were unable to consolidate even the small gains they had made.
'That is, with the information-psychological operation about Kupyansk, we defeated ourselves, not the enemy,' the channel concluded. This has sparked calls from within Russia for General Kuzovlev to be stripped of his award and reflects growing fears that Putin is being fed inaccurate claims of victory by his top commanders.
Zelensky's Defiant Christmas Wish and Stalled Peace Talks
The military humiliation came just hours after President Zelensky's remarkable Christmas address. In a pre-recorded video message, filmed before a festive backdrop, he expressed a unified national wish: 'May he [Putin] perish.' Zelensky added that while this might be a private thought for many, the public prayer was for peace for Ukraine.
This battlefield and rhetorical escalation unfolds against a backdrop of marathon discussions between US and Ukrainian officials in Florida this week, aiming to find a path to end the war as it enters its fourth year. Zelensky has reportedly offered to create a demilitarised zone in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, a proposal that seeks to bridge the gap between Kyiv's refusal to cede territory and Moscow's demand for full control of the Donbas.
Despite these diplomatic efforts, Putin has intensified attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure in recent weeks, causing civilian casualties and leaving millions in freezing conditions without power. In a separate development, a senior Russian general involved in training troops for Ukraine was killed by a car bomb earlier this week, with Moscow investigating potential Ukrainian involvement.
