Russia pushes to expand control east of Ukraine's Sumy region
Russian forces are trying to expand their zone of control east of Sumy (photo: Getty Images)
Russian forces are trying to expand their zone of control east of Sumy, but Ukrainian defenders continue to hold the settlements, Joint Forces spokesperson Victor Tregubov said during the national telethon broadcast.
According to him, in the Sumy direction, Russian forces are trying to expand their zone of control east of Sumy, but Ukrainian forces continue to hold the settlements.
At the same time, in the Vovchansk, or Southern-Slobozhanskyi, direction, the situation remains stable — Russian troops still have not managed to establish control over the city.
The Lyman direction remains the most active.
"Russian forces are trying very actively to push there. In our area of responsibility, the number of combat engagements is, in principle, comparable to all the other directions combined. If you take the area from Sumy, across the entire Kharkiv region, the Luhansk region, and to Lyman, Lyman accounts for about as many engagements as all the other directions together," the spokesperson said.
According to him, the Kupiansk direction remains the second most intense.
There, Russian troops are trying to break through to the city itself, reduce the Ukrainian bridgehead east of the Oskil River, and are also increasing pressure toward Kozacha Lopan from the border settlement of Hraniv.
"This is a relatively new point where the Russian side is concentrating its efforts," Tregubov said.
Situation on the frontline
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russian troops attempted to launch offensives in 12 directions but lost the initiative almost everywhere.
Slow enemy advances are being recorded only in two or three areas where Russia has concentrated enormous amounts of manpower and equipment.
After a visit to the Kostiantynivka direction, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi said that the enemy is attacking in small assault groups, searching for vulnerable points in the defense, but the Defense Forces are tracking these actions and inflicting significant losses.
Russian forces have intensified their offensive attempts in the Kharkiv region, which is reflected in the number of their losses.
The enemy has also stepped up activity along the border of the Sumy region.
Even the President of the United States said that Ukrainian troops are "doing pretty well" on the frontline despite Russia's significant advantage in troop numbers and resources. The United States Department of State made a similar statement.
The latest statements by the US authorities have caused dissatisfaction in the Kremlin. Russia believes that Washington is changing its approach to the war.
