Russian forces have made no meaningful progress toward capturing Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, with Ukrainian officials reporting that Russian claims of control or advances represent propaganda rather than battlefield reality. Small infiltration groups of dozens of troops persist in northern districts, but Ukrainian units have contained these efforts while shrinking Russian bridgeheads north of the city and recovering limited ground. Positional fighting continues east of the Oskil River, yet the overall Russian offensive on this axis has stalled over recent months with no expansion of controlled territory and some localized losses. Ukrainian counter-pressure and defensive operations remain the dominant factors shaping trader assessments that sustained capture of the city or key infrastructure such as the Pivdennyi railroad station remains unlikely before year-end.