Ukrainian forces repel Russian assault near Kupyansk using drones and mechanized units

But Ukraine’s Defense Forces pushed back. Two Russian breakthrough attempts were repelled by the 429th Separate Achilles Drone Systems Regiment, the First Burevii Assault Brigade, and the 43rd Separate Mechanized Brigade.

Col. Yurii Fedorenko, commander of the 429th Achilles Regiment, said Ukrainian units inflicted significant losses on the enemy. Drone operators destroyed two Russian tanks and damaged two infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), he reported.

According to Achilles drone unit members, Russian forces tried to take advantage of bad weather, hoping that the mist would reduce the effectiveness of Ukrainian drones. Early on April 6, the Russians launched a two-pronged assault—but both directions were successfully defended.

Later that afternoon, another attack followed. A Russian tank and IFV advanced toward Ukrainian lines and attempted to deploy infantry. The enemy reached the front edge of Ukraine’s defenses but was again repelled with heavy losses, according to the soldiers.

Capt. Anton “Bandera” Shmahailo, commander of the First Battalion of the Achilles Drone Systems Regiment, said Russian troops frequently try to use the weather to their advantage.

“Alongside the mechanized assault, they launched attacks with quad bikes in another area—probably to distract us from their main push,” he said. “But they acted in a rush and were poorly coordinated. You can really see their combat cohesion is breaking down. Maybe it’s because their commanders are constantly pressuring them—just throwing them into death. Their main goal here is to inch closer to Kupyansk. But they’re still far from the city. We’ll keep doing our job.”

The Achilles unit stressed that Russia has been ramping up operations in the Kupyansk sector for several months. The battle for the eastern (left-bank) part of the Kupyansk area has been ongoing since September 2024. Key Ukrainian defensive positions include Kupyansk, Kupyansk-Vuzlovyi, and Borova.

On April 6, analysts from the DeepState monitoring project reported that Russian forces had advanced near the village of Zapadne in the Kupyansk direction.

Earlier, on March 31, Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, said Russian forces had started using chemical agents dropped from drones, including in the Kupyansk area.