Ukrainian border guards warn of possible Russian offensive in Sumy region
Photo: Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (mediacenter org ua)
Ukrainian border guards do not rule out the possibility that Russians may launch an offensive in the Sumy region, as they did in the Kharkiv region. Although the Russian occupiers do not have enough forces to do so now, according to Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
"Of course, we should expect and be prepared for any situation to develop in any direction, including the direction of Sumy. Following the example of what the Russians did in the Kharkiv region, in the direction of Lyptsi and Vovchansk, the same situation can be reversed in the direction of Sumy region," says the spokesperson.
Demchenko notes that Russian provocations are aimed at stretching Ukrainian forces at the front. However, he says, so far the Russians are not preparing an offensive in the Sumy region.
At the same time, the spokesperson emphasizes that the Ukrainian Defense Forces must be prepared for any situation.
"As of now, we do not record that the Russians have enough forces to achieve any of their strategic goals, to move deeper into the territory of Ukraine. This is true both in terms of equipment and personnel. Of course, Russia's forces may outnumber ours. Therefore, even though the Russians do not have enough of their capacities, they can create the same kind of situation in the Kharkiv region and Sumy region. We must be prepared for any situation," he emphasizes.
Russian offensive in Kharkiv region
The situation in the Kharkiv region has escalated. Russian troops have launched an offensive in the north of the region. Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Russian occupiers had reached the first of three defense lines.
According to the chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Russians are suffering losses, and being stuck in street battles in Vovchansk.
