The North Operational Command of Ukraine’s Ground Forces confirmed the information.The situation in the Kupiansk direction remains tense, as Russian forces consider capturing the town a strategic objective. Russian troops are concentrating near the settlements of Radkivka and Holubivka, from where they tried to infiltrate via the pipeline. Prompt action by Ukrainian units disrupted these attempts.Russian forces are also attempting to cross the Oskil River using boats, but most of these efforts have been thwarted by Ukrainian artillery, mortars, and strike FPV drones.“Units from the North Operational Command are conducting counter-sabotage operations, blocking and destroying the enemy in forests, cottage areas, and on the outskirts of the city. Prisoners testify to the lack of clear combat orders among the Russians,” the command added.BackgroundEarlier reports on September 12 from the DeepState analytical project claimed that Russian troops had entered Kupiansk via the gas network, a tactic previously used in Avdiivka and Sudzha. However, the head of the Kupiansk city military administration, Andriy Besedin, and Ukraine’s General Staff refuted these claims, stating that the city remains under Ukrainian control despite ongoing fighting in its outskirts.On September 15, Yuriy Fedorenko, commander of Ukraine's 429th “Achilles” Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment, confirmed that the Ukrainian Defense Forces had damaged and flooded an underground pipe in the Kupiansk area, which Russian troops were reportedly using to move around.