Russia concentrates 100,000 troops on Kupyansk-Liman frontline as war intensifies

In what can be seen as the largest troop deployment since the 1979-1989 Afghan-Soviet war, Russia has mobilised more than 100,000 troops in the Kupyansk and Liman directions in Ukraine's Kharkiv region as war has intensified amid the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive. 

Russian army concentrated a significant part of the troops on the eastern front as the situation 'continues to remain fraught as Russian forces launched an offensive near Kupyansk', Commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces, Lt. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said. The latter underscored the complexity of the operational landscape in eastern Ukraine, adding that Russia is also mobilizing additional forces and resources that comprise the airborne troops, towards the battered city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast. 

Combat army reserve, territorial troops, 'Storm-Z' companies deployed

Sergey Cherevaty, the spokesperson for the Eastern Group of Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that in the Kupyansk and Liman directions, Russia's forces have started an offensive. “More than 100,000 personnel, more than 900 tanks, more than 555 artillery systems, 370 MLRS,” Cherevaty said in a statement on July 17. “The enemy has concentrated landing units there, the best-motorized infantry units. For understanding, at the peak of the number of Soviet troops in Afghanistan, there were 120,000," he added. 

Russian troops advancing in the Kupyansk direction. Credit: Twitter/@blackdiammon

Cherewaty said that the Ukrainian forces are maintaining their defensive positions, commenting on speculations earlier that Ukraine's military may have to draw reserves away from the nascent counteroffensive in the south and the east. "There are the combat army reserve, territorial troops, 'Storm-Z' companies," said the spokesperson for Ukraine's Eastern Command. 

The main goal of the Russian forces is to halt the Ukrainian advances during the counterattack in the Bakhmut direction. This is why "the enemy’s army has initiated an offensive in the Kupyansk area," said Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malar in a statement, separately. “For the Russians, the east is the main direction of their offensive. Since January, they have been concentrated there to reach the administrative border of Donetsk Oblast,” emphasized the Ukrainian deputy minister. Russian soldiers are intensifying their parallel offensive in Awdijiwski, Marjinski, Bakhmut, Lyman, and, the Kupyansk sectors. "The operational situation in the east remains difficult," Ukraine's Chief of the General Staff, Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, stressed. 

The Liman-Kupyansk frontline. Credit: Twitter/@Megatron_ron

According to the Institute for the Study of War [ISW] analysis of the situation of the frontlines, the Russian forces marshalled on the Kupiansk front "pose a limited threat." "The poor quality and composition of Russian troops currently deployed on this line, however, will likely hinder Russia's ability to achieve more than tactically significant gains or make an operationally significant breakthrough," the think tank said. It confirmed, citing the Ukrainian and Russian military sources, that both militaries have said that there is heavy deployment of convict-formed 'Storm-Z' assault units to the Kupyansk direction.