Ukrainian troops have taken control of the northeastern city of Kupyansk, pushing Russian troops away from their positions on the eastern bank of the Oskil River, AFP journalists reported on Thursday.

A significant part of this railway junction was taken from the Russians at the beginning of September thanks to the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region.

But the Moscow troops were still holding out across the river, conducting artillery duels, and the civilian population was fleeing the fighting and trying to cross over to the Ukrainian side.

On Thursday, Ukrainian firefighters and volunteers delivered the first batch of humanitarian aid to the other side of Oskil.

“This will be the first distribution of humanitarian aid on the other side,” said Kupyan military administrator Andrii Kanachevych during the distribution of 2,000 food kits provided by the British.

There was occasional mortar fire, but on the eastern bank Ukrainian tanks and armored vehicles could be seen passing destroyed trucks with the letter “Z” – the distinguishing mark of Russian troops.

AFP journalists saw five bodies in military uniform, probably Moscow soldiers, lying next to damaged cars with Russian insignia.

In the industrial suburb of Kupyansk-Vuzlove, located on the east bank of the Oskil River, five kilometers to the south, residents say the Russians have been missing since Tuesday.

On Thursday, an armored personnel carrier and a platoon of Ukrainian soldiers were stationed near the district cultural center, and at least two tanks were moving through the area.

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