Tregubov denied claims that Russia had seized settlements in the Kharkiv region
In the northern part of Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, several dozen Russian soldiers remain and continue to put up organized resistance. Ukrainian defense forces are working to prevent the enemy from rotating troops and moving reinforcements into the city. At the same time, Russian claims about the alleged capture of Holubivka and Shevchenkove are untrue.
According to him, Russian troops are located in the northern districts of Kupiansk and are scattered among low-rise buildings. They remain a threat and continue to put up resistance.
“Several dozen Russian fighters remain in the northern districts of Kupiansk, scattered among low-rise buildings. They pose a certain threat; in other words, we can’t say that we’re finishing them off there—no, they’re fairly well-organized, and they’re putting up some resistance. But if we manage to cut off their ability to rotate troops, to prevent them from withdrawing and reinforcing their positions, then they will face very difficult times here. That is exactly what we are working on right now,” Tregubov noted.
The spokesperson for the Joint Forces Operation also refuted reports of the alleged capture of Holubivka and Shevchenkove in the Kharkiv region by Russian troops. According to him, the enemy is attempting to establish control over Holubivka and advance toward Radkivka; however, its actual progress does not match the information being reported to the Russian command.
“The Russians have not established full control over Holubivka; they are trying to take control of it and advance toward Radkivka—five times that distance, and then they’ll reach Shevchenkove. Well, that’s roughly the difference between their actual efforts and how they portray them in their reports,” Tregubov emphasized.
Thus, according to the spokesperson’s assessment, the Russian military is exaggerating its achievements on this section of the front.
Commenting on the enemy’s possible next moves, Tregubov explained that Russian troops are trying to regain their positions in the Holubivka area and advance toward Radkivka, located slightly to the west.
If the Russians manage to expand their zone of control in this sector, they will be able to partially make up for their previous losses of ground. At the same time, the Ukrainian military has no intention of allowing the enemy to advance any further.
“They’re trying to regain their positions in the Holubivka area and advance toward Radkivka, which is a little west of Holubivka. If they succeed, if they expand their zone of control there even a little, then they’ll partially make up for that loss. But again, no one is going to hand over Radkivka to them; no one is going to allow them to expand this—how should I put it—narrow strip in front of Oskol that currently exists. “If we manage to reduce it once and for all, it will mean that the Russians will simply have no way to bring troops into that unfortunate Kupiansk,” the spokesperson explained.
According to Viktor Tregubov, limiting the Russians’ ability to rotate and redeploy troops could significantly complicate the occupiers’ situation in Kupiansk. Ukrainian defenders continue to work on narrowing the corridor available to the enemy for moving forces toward the city.
Viktor Tregubov, spokesperson for the Joint Forces Operation, made this statement during a television broadcast.
Since the beginning of September 2026, the Russian army has lost 241 square kilometers more of Ukrainian territory than it has been able to capture. The pace of the occupying forces’ advance has slowed, while Ukrainian forces are regaining the initiative in certain sectors of the front.
The Russian military is training specialized units to conduct combat operations underground. Meanwhile, fighters from the 13th Brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard, “Charter,” are already engaging Russian forces in old Soviet gas pipelines near Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region.
In addition, Russian occupation forces are advancing in the Donetsk region near two settlements—Rai-Oleksandrivka and Vilne.
Over the past day, October 22, there were 165 combat engagements on the front lines. Among the specified sectors, Russian troops carried out the largest number of attacks in the Pokrovsk sector, where 15 assaults were recorded.
Prior to this, the General Staff updated the data on Russian losses in the war against Ukraine as of October 23.
