Ukraine’s 8th Special Operations Forces (SSO) Regiment killed two Russian soldiers and captured two others during operations in central Kupiansk, helping neighboring units liberate the contested city center.
In a post on Telegram, the regiment said the action followed reconnaissance that identified Russian forces occupying a destroyed supermarket and a nearby residential building.
❗️A special operations group of the 🇺🇦8th Separate Special Purpose Regiment of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces conducted a successful special operation in Kupiansk. As a result, two 🇷🇺Russian servicemen were eliminated and two more were taken prisoner. pic.twitter.com/msDPdK6SK8
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) January 26, 2026
“The work of the SSO group assisted adjacent units in liberating the central part of Kupiansk,” the unit said.
The operation comes as Ukrainian forces continue to strengthen their hold on Kupiansk, undermining Russia’s attempts to use the city as a bargaining chip in potential peace talks.
On Monday, Ukrainian troops from the 14th Mechanized Brigade released footage showing their forces attacking Russian infantry in the Kupiansk direction.
Russian soldiers trying to slip into Kupiansk, but Ukrainian troops cut off their approach before entry.
As of 25 January, the cleanup of Russian forces in this Kharkiv Oblast city is nearly complete, though some remain in central quarters, with fresh troops failing to break… pic.twitter.com/F6egSgBLDf
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) January 25, 2026
According to The Washington Post, Ukrainian troops have cleared most of Kupiansk of Russian forces, though fewer than 100 soldiers are still believed to be hiding in damaged buildings.
