Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Ukrainian forces in Kupiansk were encircled. Volodymyr Zelensky responded by traveling to the Ukrainian city and posting a selfie, reports Mediaite. The Kremlin has for weeks asserted that Russian troops retook the northeastern city near the Russian border, inviting foreign journalists to see what it claimed was Moscow's control. Ukraine has consistently rejected that narrative, saying its forces still hold Kupiansk, a front-line hub that Russia seized early in the invasion and Kyiv recaptured in a 2022 counteroffensive. Russian attacks on the area have continued, striking civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools.
On Friday, Ukrainian President Zelensky posted a short video from in front of Kupiansk's recognizable city sign, wearing a flak jacket as a distant explosion sounded. "The Russians kept going on about Kupiansk—the reality speaks for itself," he said in the clip, adding that he was visiting "our warriors who are getting the job done for Ukraine here." He framed battlefield gains as essential for strengthening Ukraine's position in any future talks, a pointed contrast to proposals backed by Moscow that would involve Kyiv ceding territory.
Official Ukrainian accounts quickly amplified the footage. "Putin has claimed Ukrainian defenders in Kupiansk were surrounded," wrote the government's UNITED24 platform, saying Zelensky had done some "mythbusting" on that claim and declaring, "Kupiansk is Ukraine." Observers also highlighted the battered yet intact city sign behind the president, still painted in Ukraine's blue and yellow—unlike in occupied cities such as Mariupol, where Russian forces have repainted and relettered similar signs. Zelensky also shared selfies and photos with troops defending the area.
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