Commander of the 429th Drone Systems Regiment Achilles Yurii Fedorenko reported the information on Hromadske Radio.“At the moment, Russia’s task is to prevent Ukrainian forces from blocking them and to try to build up forces in the city. Ukraine’s Defense Forces are preventing the Russians from achieving these objectives,” the commander said.He explained that Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups continue to infiltrate the city, either disguised as civilians or wearing Ukrainian uniforms. These groups are usually small, and Ukrainian defenders manage to detect and destroy them.According to Fedorenko, work continues to block Russian troops on the northwestern outskirts of Kupiansk, though it is not yet complete, which allows small Russian groups to keep slipping into the city.“It won’t be long before we fully block the Russians. Constant operations are underway to clear the settlement, destroy sabotage and reconnaissance groups, and capture Russian invaders,” Fedorenko emphasized.He added that recently, Ukrainian forces have captured a significant number of Russian soldiers in Kupiansk. Overall, he believes “the pendulum has swung toward the Ukrainian Defense Forces,” though the situation in the city remains tense.Fedorenko also noted that the changing weather with the arrival of autumn will bring certain advantages for Ukrainian forces. For instance, as the leaves fall, areas Russian troops currently use for cover will become more visible to Ukrainian reconnaissance and easier to target — leading to higher Russian losses.However, autumn also poses challenges. Foggy weather allows Russian forces to move and regroup, but, as Fedorenko pointed out, after years of full-scale war, Ukraine’s Defense Forces have learned how to counter such movements.