A letter from the mother of a Russian soldier reportedly trapped near Kupyansk has surfaced on Russian war channels. The Kremlin, however, continues to insist the situation around Kupyansk is “under control,” denying any encirclement.
Pro-Kremlin channels are circulating a handwritten letter from the mother of a Russian serviceman who she says is surrounded with a group of troops by Ukrainian forces near Kupyansk. Addressed personally to President Vladimir Putin, the letter pleads for her son and his fellow soldiers to be rescued.
In the letter, she says the group of Russian troops is in dire straits, effectively in full encirclement. According to her, the soldiers are without assistance or support, and the situation is worsening by the day. She calls for intervention by Putin and the Defense Ministry, stressing these are “children” who must be urgently evacuated.
War channels are amplifying the letter with commentary about a “difficult situation” and calls to “not leave the guys behind.” There has been no official confirmation from Russia’s Defense Ministry, nor any sign of a rescue operation being prepared.
Against this backdrop, the Russian official line stands in contrast. Russian authorities and state media have previously claimed Kupyansk is under control and that reports of an encirclement are “fake” and “disinformation.”
According to the Kremlin’s official version, there is no encirclement - and therefore, by Moscow’s logic, no one to rescue. In effect, the soldier’s mother is appealing to authorities that publicly deny the problem exists.
What is happening near Kupyansk is not unique. Similar appeals have surfaced around Bakhmut, Avdiivka, in the Zaporizhzhia region and along the Kharkiv front. Meanwhile, official briefings continue to use upbeat language about a “stable situation” and “missions being accomplished.”
