Ukraine Continues To Repel Repeated Russian Attacks Near Kupiansk

Russia's signal victory on this front was the Ukrainian retreat from a hamlet which once had 45 inhabitants and is now completely destroyed. 

Aside from that tactical withdrawal Russia has nothing to show for its losses. JL 

Daria Shulzhenko reports in the Kyiv Independent:

Ukraine continues to repel Russian attacks in the Kupiansk area, fighting off 10 assaults around Synkivka, Tabaivka, Terny, and Yampolivka. Russia suffered “big losses” near Tabaivka. The Ukrainian military confirmed a retreat from Krokhmalne but "before the finvasion, 45 people lived in the village of Krokhmalne, and today, there are no civilians there; the village is destroyed. Krokhmalne is important for Russian troops because it is symbolic; they need to present some kind of victory before the (2024 Russian presidential) election."

Ukrainian military denied on Jan. 29 Russia’s claims about the capture of Tabaivka, a small destroyed village in Kharkiv Oblast, located roughly 20 kilometers southeast of Kupiansk.

"The enemy claims that they have already captured Tabaivka. This is not true. Battles are taking place not far from this settlement," Volodymyr Fito, the spokesperson of Ukraine's Ground Forces, said on television.

Fito’s announcement comes as Kyiv has been warning that Russia is intensifying attacks around Kupiansk, aiming to encircle and capture this key logistics hub, over the past weeks.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on Jan. 27 that, according to Russian military bloggers, Russia's 47th Tank Division had captured Tabaivka, home to 34 people before the full-scale invasion, but that they have “not observed evidence confirming this claim.”

It was followed by the report from the Ukrainian DeepState Telegram monitoring channel: "In the morning, we received information that the enemy had occupied Tabaivka and was trying to advance toward Pischany," DeepState wrote.

Fito, however, says Ukraine continues to repel Russian attacks in the area, fighting off 10 assaults around Synkivka, Tabaivka, Terny, and Yampolivka.

Later in the day, he also said Russia suffered “big losses” near Tabaivka, adding that Ukrainian forces repelled 10 Russian attacks in the Kupiansk and Lyman direction.

Earlier on Jan. 21, Russia also claimed the capture of Krokhmalne, a village near the administrative borders of Kharkiv and Luhansk oblasts around four kilometers southeast of Tabaivka.

The Ukrainian military confirmed a retreat from Krokhmalne but said its loss has no strategic impact. Fito said that "the settlement of Krokhmalne is important for Russian troops because it is symbolic; they need to present some kind of victory before the (2024 presidential) election."

"Before the full-scale invasion, 45 people lived in the village of Krokhmalne, and today, there are no civilians there; the village is destroyed," Fito said back then.

ISW said earlier in January that Russia may soon scale up localized offensive operations with the aim of capturing Kupiansk. However, Ukrainian commanders say Russia is particularly focusing its efforts on the nearby village of Synkivka.