Russia has declared full control over the strategic northeastern city of Kupiansk, challenging Ukrainian claims of recent territorial gains in the key rail hub.
Leonid Sharov, head of Russia’s Zapad military group, told TASS on Tuesday that the “city of Kupiansk is under the control of the Russian Sixth Army,” despite ongoing Ukrainian attempts to re-enter the city.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier visited front-line forces near Kupiansk after Kiev reported recapturing several districts and two nearby localities, underscoring the contested nature of the region.
Sharov added that small Ukrainian units continue daily attempts to retake the city, but Russian troops maintain a firm presence across the area, critical for logistics and troop movements.
Separately, Russia claimed it had captured the village of Novoplatonivka in Kharkiv region, while dismissing Ukrainian reports that a Black Sea Fleet submarine was sunk at the Novorossiysk naval base.
Captain Alexey Rulev, head of the fleet’s press service, called the reports “false.”
Russia hasn’t seen official proposal
Meanwhile, Russia on Tuesday said it had "not seen" the European leaders' proposal to create a multinational peacekeeping force to guarantee peace in Ukraine, published a day before, refusing to comment on the plan.
European leaders have proposed a European-led "multinational force" with US support to enforce a potential peace deal in Ukraine, a joint statement said as they met Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin.
The force — according to the statement published late Monday — would be part of "robust security guarantees" for Ukraine from the United States and European powers aimed at guaranteeing that Russia would not violate any agreement to end the war started with Russia's assault in 2022.
But Russia on Tuesday refused to comment on the document.
"We have seen newspaper reports so far, but we will not respond to them. We have not seen any texts yet," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.
Commission for Ukraine war damages
Simultaneously, European officials convened in The Hague in Tuesday to establish the International Claims Commission for Ukraine, aimed at overseeing billions of euros in reparations for war damages.
The commission will assess claims, coordinate future compensation funds, and work alongside Ukraine’s “Register of Damages,” which has already logged more than 80,000 claims from individuals and organisations.
Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel confirmed that the commission would be headquartered in the Netherlands and stressed the importance of reparations for Ukrainian victims.
"Without accountability, a conflict cannot be fully resolved. And part of that accountability is also paying damages that have been done. So I think it's a big step today that we are now establishing a claims commission, that we're signing a treaty on that," Van Weel told reporters.
