When I say the word propaganda I mean it in the technical sense "information crafted into a narrative and spread for a political purpose".
A YouTuber I follow called Willy OAM says that the winning side's propaganda will exaggerate and the losing side's will fabricate. I think this is a perfect example.
The Russians announced that they had taken Kupiansk. In retrospect this was premature (exaggeration). In response Zelensky claimed in the caption to his picture that Ukraine had retained full control over Kupiansk, while providing for proof a picture taken 3 km southwest of the western bridgehead and other key central areas of the city (fabrication). Even (honest) mappers that are pro-Ukrainian did not find this evidence compelling to support his claim, but of course the Western press uncritically reported it as fact and a great embarrassment to the Russians.
Now, months later (at the start of the spring offensive) the Russians are pushing out from the bridgehead into Western Kupiansk. Moreover, they have been taking huge swaths of territory southeast of Kupiansk on the east side of the Oskil (this is the region where the starved defenders from the article were/are). Are those same Western outlets coming forward to say say they were wrong about Kupiansk? Do you think that will ever happen? Or will it be like Pokrovsk where they were still pretending the city is in contention when the contact line is tens of kilometers to the northwest?