Zelenskyy Visits Frontline to Counter Putin’s Claims of Russian Advances

In a daring move that directly challenges Russian propaganda, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to the contested city of Kupyansk last week, recording a selfie video that exposed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s repeated false claims about capturing the strategic eastern Ukrainian city.

The Ukrainian leader’s front-line appearance came as Russian forces have been pushed back from the area during a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive. “Putin publicly lied, claiming that Russian forces had already taken the city. So I went to Kupyansk myself to show the world that Putin is lying,” Zelenskyy stated in his video message. “We must keep exposing every single Russian falsehood because truth restores justice.”

Kupyansk, located near the Russian border in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, has significant strategic importance. Initially captured by Russian forces in the early days of the 2022 invasion, Ukrainian troops liberated the city during their September 2022 counteroffensive. In recent months, Russian forces have made the city a priority target in their eastern offensive operations.

Putin’s claims about Kupyansk began in late October when he invited international journalists to witness what he described as the encirclement of trapped Ukrainian units. Days later, he told Russia’s National Security Council that Kupyansk was “practically in the hands of Russian forces” with only mopping-up operations remaining.

The Russian narrative escalated on November 20, when Russia’s top general Valery Gerasimov informed Putin that Russian forces had established full control over the city. Putin subsequently used the claimed victory to intimidate Ukraine, warning that “if Kyiv does not want to discuss President Trump’s proposals and refuses it, then both they and the European warmongers should understand the events that took place in Kupyansk will inevitably be repeated in other key areas of the front.”

As recently as December 2, Putin insisted Kupyansk had been under Russian occupation “for several weeks now,” accusing Ukrainian authorities of being detached from reality. Zelenskyy’s visit effectively turned this accusation back on the Russian leader, with the Ukrainian president stating from the outskirts of the city: “The Russians have had a lot to say about Kupyansk. The reality speaks for itself.”

Military analysts note that Zelenskyy’s front-line appearance serves multiple strategic purposes beyond fact-checking Russian propaganda. The Ukrainian leader explicitly connected battlefield performance to diplomatic leverage, stating, “Today, achieving results on the front line is crucial so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy. This is exactly how it works: All our strong positions within the country translate into strong positions in the negotiations to end the war.”

The timing of Zelenskyy’s Kupyansk visit appears particularly calculated as the Ukrainian government attempts to influence perceptions ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January. Trump has repeatedly suggested Ukraine should accept peace terms favorable to Moscow, often citing what he perceives as Russia’s inevitable military victory.

“The facts on the ground simply do not support this defeatist assessment,” notes Peter Dickinson, editor of the Atlantic Council’s UkraineAlert service. While Russian forces currently hold the overall initiative along the 600-mile front line, their advance remains slow and costly. Military observers point out that Russia continues to suffer extremely high casualty rates for relatively modest territorial gains.

Ukraine’s recent tactical success around Kupyansk demonstrates that the Ukrainian military remains capable of effective defensive and counteroffensive operations despite facing significant challenges with manpower and ammunition. This reality contradicts the Kremlin’s carefully crafted narrative of inevitable Russian triumph.

Defense experts suggest that with sufficient Western support, Ukraine could potentially stabilize more sections of the front line in 2025, similar to what has occurred in the Kupyansk sector. This would significantly strengthen Ukraine’s position in any future negotiations.

“Putin wants the world to believe he cannot be beaten on the battlefield,” Dickinson observes, “but the Russian troops retreating from Kupyansk would likely tell a different story.”