Ukrainian forces killed 27 times as many Russians as they lost when they fought to regain the key city of Kupiansk, according to an intelligence assessment provided to the British military.
British officials were informed about the “kill ratio” in a Ukrainian briefing last week on Kyiv’s ability to win back territory despite Moscow’s “meat grinder” tactics of overwhelming their enemy by sheer force of numbers.
A defence source who provided the figure to The Times pointed out that in the battle for Kupiansk before Christmas as many as 200 Russian troops had been surrounded by advancing Ukrainians. It is unclear how many Russians were killed overall, although the source said that Russian casualties in the area throughout last year were estimated to be in the thousands.
Some of Kyiv’s best-trained soldiers, including those from the 13th “Khartia” brigade, have been deployed to Kupiansk to relieve the pressure on the city, which seemed on the brink of being overrun a few weeks ago.
The frontline town of Kupiansk in December 2025
116TH SEPARATE MECHANIZED BRIGADE OF THE UKRAINIAN GROUND FORCES/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
In a dramatic reversal, Ukrainian forces said they had almost pushed Russian forces back this week, and soldiers raised the Ukrainian flag on the remains of Kupiansk’s council building on Monday.
According to the Financial Times, Ukrainian units moved into the area over the autumn without drawing Russian attention, before making their way through the forests surrounding Kupiansk and into the city.
Viktor Trehubov, spokesman for the military group responsible for the Kharkiv region, said that since the start of this month Ukrainian troops had been clearing Kupiansk of Russians.
Ukrainian forces also carried out an air attack on a hospital building in Kupiansk where Russian soldiers were hiding.
Diplomatic sources told The Times they saw no sign that President Putin was willing to compromise on his maximalist demands, which include control of four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine, as the price for ending the war. However, they pointed out that despite all the soldiers Russia was throwing into the fight, Putin was not able to advance in any significant way, which had kept up Ukrainian morale.
Speaking to foreign ambassadors in Moscow on Thursday, Putin said Russia wanted a long-lasting peace in Ukraine. “Not everywhere, including in Kyiv and the capitals that support it, are [people] ready for that, but we hope the realisation of the necessity will come sooner or later,” he said. “While there is not [such a realisation] Russia will continue to strive to achieve the aims it has set itself.” In an often-repeated claim, Putin added that the crisis in Ukraine was the result of Russia’s interests being ignored for many years, and “an intentional course of creating threats to our security, expanding the Nato bloc towards our borders”.
Meanwhile, the Russian foreign ministry said that if Britain intercepted Russian oil tankers that London considers sanctions-busters, Moscow would consider it a violation of international maritime law and a direct attempt to damage Russia’s interests. The ministry also said the possible use of British missiles by Ukraine for strikes inside Russia “brought closer the moment” when Moscow would declare the UK a direct participant in the conflict.
Ukrainian officials have said in recent weeks that British Storm Shadow missiles were used to strike a chemical plant in Russia’s Bryansk region that made gunpowder and explosives, and an oil refinery in the Rostov region.
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Asked whether he agreed with President Trump that President Zelensky was the reason why no peace deal had been signed, Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, said: “I agree, that is indeed the case. President Putin and the Russian side remain open [to talks]. The Russian position is well known. It is well known to the American negotiators, to President Trump, and to the leadership of the Kyiv regime.”
Peskov said Kyiv was running out of time. “The situation is deteriorating day by day for the Kyiv regime,” he told reporters, adding that Ukraine’s “corridor for decision-making” was “narrowing”. The time had come “for Zelensky to take responsibility and make the appropriate decision”, he added, apparently meaning agreement to Russia’s demands.
Peskov said he was unable to confirm reports that Russia was ready to accept troops from China or the “Global South” as peacekeepers in Ukraine after a peace deal. Putin has said any troops from Nato countries deployed there would be considered “legitimate targets for defeat” by Russian forces.
Peskov added that dialogue between Russia and the United States over the conflict should continue, and he hoped Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, would travel to Moscow for new talks.