Offensive in Ukraine's Sumy region: Zelenskyy reveals Russia’s intentions and obstacles
Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The Russians tried once again to advance in the Sumy region. However, they did not succeed in doing so as they had planned, according to a statement from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"There are no surprises, the military knows what to do and is doing everything they can. The Russians — this was their plan, I honestly explained which direction they would choose as the main one, and this was even when we began the Kursk direction. We believed they would start precisely with Sumy, but there was also an understanding about the East, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv," the president noted.
He explained that the offensive on the Sumy region was planned by the Russian forces from the very beginning, and what is happening now is nothing more than another wave of the offensive.
"They will continue doing this, and in Sumy, they have no success. Unfortunately, there is a gray zone; some villages have been destroyed. Not all at once — it’s quite a long process. The Russians are engaged in this, Ukrainian troops know about it, and are fighting back. They would move faster because this is their operation — the occupation of Sumy and Kharkiv regions, it is their intention," Zelenskyy said.
According to him, at first the Russian army wanted to advance along the entire line, but then decided that it would be enough to control and destroy Sumy and other important cities about 30-40 km from the border.
"Then they reduced it to 7-10 km because they realized they don’t have enough strength. Believe me, there are no good reasons for this — they simply lack the strength. If they had enough, they would have gone further," he added.
Russia’s summer offensive
According to the Washington Post, the large-scale offensive will be concentrated in the eastern part of the Donetsk region. Moreover, Western media believe that this summer could be Russian President Vladimir Putin’s last chance for a major offensive.
In particular, a US official stated that the likely offensive will aim to seize more territory in eastern Ukraine.
Russian President Putin himself announced plans on May 22 to capture part of Ukraine’s border territory.
Note that earlier today, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine shared details about the enemy’s attempts to expand the offensive in the Sumy region.
