Ex-Ukrainian officer commands Russian offensive on Kupiansk, BBC reports
Russian forces attempting to advance on the town of Kupiansk in Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast are being led by a former Ukrainian officer, Serhii Storozhenko, BBC News Ukraine reported on Sept. 18.
Recent months saw fierce fighting around Kupiansk, a key northeastern town some 104 kilometers (65 miles) east of Kharkiv.
The situation in the town remains "tense" as Russian forces attempt to advance, massing forces around neighboring villages, the Ukrainian military said on Sept. 19.
Russian units are attempting to infiltrate Ukrainian lines by going through gas pipelines or dressing up as civilians, the military noted, adding that the latter tactic continues a war crime.
Russia's 6th Combined Arms Army, currently commanded by Lieutenant General Storozhenko, is believed to play a key role in the offensive on Kupiansk, the BBC reported, citing Russian military bloggers and Ukrainian analysts.
Storozhenko, born in Kharkiv Oblast in 1975, spent most of his career in the Ukrainian army. He defected to Russia after the occupation of Crimea in 2014 and received Russian citizenship soon after, according to the BBC.
The officer previously served in Ukraine’s 36th Coastal Defense Brigade and was a deputy commander of the Ukrainian contingent in Kosovo during the Kosovo Force (KFOR) mission.
During Russia’s takeover of Crimea in March 2014, Storozhenko commanded about 1,200 Ukrainian troops. Around half left for mainland Ukraine, while the other 600 remained and joined the Russian military.
Storozhenko reportedly took command of Russia’s newly formed 126th Coastal Defense Brigade in Crimea and steadily rose through the ranks.
By the start of the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, he was a major general and chief of staff of Russia’s 35th Army in the Eastern Military District. That army was involved in the early fighting in Kharkiv Oblast.
In 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin promoted Storozhenko to lieutenant general and appointed him commander of the 6th Combined Arms Army, the BBC wrote.
Earlier this week, the spokesperson of Ukraine's operational-strategic command "Dnipro," Oleksii Belskyi, said that capturing Kupiansk is Russia's main goal in Kharkiv Oblast.
