Kyiv: a small Russian assault group briefly broke through to the outskirts of Ukraine northeastern town of Kupiansk for the first time since forces fled Moscow in September 2022, officials said, a sign of growing pressure on the outpost.

Moscow’s forces, including soldiers disguised as Ukrainian troops, attacked in four waves on Wednesday (Nov. 13) but were pushed back from the city, a major railway hub with a pre-war population of 26,000, the Russian government said. Ukrainian General Staff.

“They entered partly into the suburbs, into the industrial zone and were destroyed by our troops… There were assault actions with heavy armored vehicles, there were attempts to bring in “infantry,” said the head of the city’s military administration.

The town, now just 2.5 kilometers from the front line, was under constant bombardment and the population fell to 3,000 people who were asked to evacuate, the official, Andriy Besedin, told Reuters by telephone.