Odesa Oblast: News

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How Ukraine defends Kupiansk from Russian troops crawling through pipes

KHARKIV OBLAST — The longest a Russian soldier can hope to survive for after emerging from the underground pipeline is, according to those hunting them, one single hour. "But it's usually 10 minutes, and that's it," "Tovsty," chief sergeant of a company in Ukraine's Khartiia Brigade, says at a command post in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast. Tovsty is watching live drone footage showing a scene which has been repeating itself over and over again for months now — Russian soldiers emerging from disu

A Ukrainian serviceman of the Khartiia Brigade at a command post near Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, on April 1, 2026.

About Odesa Oblast

The region in Ukraine’s southwest covers 33,310 square kilometers (12,861 square miles) along Ukraine's Black Sea coast, with a population of approximately 2.4 million and Odesa city as its administrative center. Odesa Oblast borders Moldova to the west, and Romania across the delta of the Danube. Odesa Oblast serves as Ukraine's main maritime trade gateway and has faced repeated Russian missile and drone strikes targeting port infrastructure since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

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