Here, Russia’s offensive against Kupiansk has turned into one of the greatest disasters of the war, a grinding campaign that devours entire brigades yet yields no meaningful gains. The forest belts remain littered with destroyed vehicles and dead Russians, while Ukrainian special forces raids keep Russian troops pinned down. In all, Russia has spent 22 months, at least 2 combined-arms armies, and 13,000 soldiers in the Kupiansk direction for nothing but blood and ashes. Casualties have skyrocketed so much since the start of the Kupiansk offensive, that some Russian analysts whisper about deliberate sabotage. His track record reinforces the suspicion: defeats at Izyum, stalemate in Kursk, and now a complete disaster at Kupiansk.