On Thursday, the Russian military announced that it has once again regained control of Kupiansk, an important stronghold for Ukraine situated in the eastern Kharkiv region, where Russian forces have been making gradual progress.

Ukraine had previously taken back this eastern railway center in September, after it had been seized by Russian troops on the first day of their invasion in 2022. However, in recent months, Ukrainian forces have faced challenges along the front lines.

Sergei Kuzovlev, the commander of the western military grouping, reported to President Vladimir Putin, as shown in a televised address, that Russian troops had “completed the liberation of Kupiansk.” He characterized the city as a crucial element in Ukraine’s defense strategy.

This development coincides with Ukraine formally receiving a U.S. proposal aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict. According to a senior source familiar with the draft who spoke to AFP, the proposal seems to align with Russia’s demands for Ukraine to relinquish territories currently under Russian control.

Before this announcement, the Kremlin disclosed that Putin had visited a command base on Thursday and had been briefed by military officers about the situation at the front.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov informed the press that “the president and supreme commander-in-chief visited one of the command centers for the western troop grouping and held a meeting with the chief of staff,” although he did not clarify whether the base was located in Russia or in previously occupied areas of Ukraine.

Prior to the full-scale war, Kupiansk had a population of approximately 55,000 residents.