Foreign Affairs

TexasTowelie

(125,638 posts) Wed Jan 14, 2026, 08:15 PM 5 hrs ago

"Was It All For Nothing?": Putin Just Ordered to Do 'This' to Key Abandoned City - The Russian Dude

In this video, we break down why Russia’s obsession with Kupiansk has turned into one of the clearest symbols of failure, desperation, and propaganda-driven warfare in the entire Ukraine war. As Vladimir Putin’s forces continue to throw men, bombs, and even pipeline infiltration units into a city they cannot hold, the battle for Kupiansk exposes a brutal reality: this war is no longer about territory or strategy, but about images, headlines, and the illusion of control. Despite intensified Russian airstrikes, repeated infantry assaults, and grotesque attempts to send soldiers through underground gas pipelines, Ukrainian forces have steadily encircled and cleared Kupiansk, leaving behind isolated, starving, and abandoned Russian troops. While Kremlin state media declared the city “liberated” and Putin appeared in uniform to celebrate a fictional victory, the reality on the ground shows a collapsing Russian presence, foreign mercenaries captured, and entire units wiped out for nothing more than propaganda footage.

This analysis explains why Kupiansk matters politically to Moscow, how pipeline assaults reveal the depth of Russia’s manpower crisis, and why Putin is willing to sacrifice lives for reusable TV clips rather than real gains. From encirclement and collapse to propaganda victories that cost thousands of lives, Kupiansk reveals the true nature of Russia’s war in Ukraine and raises the haunting question: was it all for nothing? This video connects the dots between Russian military losses, Ukrainian advances, Putin’s propaganda machine, and the growing gap between televised victory and battlefield reality.