Russian military increases pressure on Ukraine's Sumy region
The Northern Group of the Russian army continued to gain control of the villages of Vodolaghi and Oleksiivka in the Sumy region, expanding the bridgehead area.
Báo Khoa học và Đời sống•01/06/2025
The Northern Group of the Russian Armed Forces (RFAF) continues to advance along the Russian border in the Sumy region and expand the bridgehead, in order to implement the plan to create a so-called “security buffer zone”, as declared by President Putin, with the aim of preventing attacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), on the regions of the Kursk and Belgorod regions of Russia. The order to create a “security buffer zone” in the Sumy region was given by Russian President Putin himself during a recent visit to the Kursk region, which had just been recaptured from AFU control. But some time before that, the RFAF had begun its offensive into the Sumy region of Ukraine.
The Northern Wind Telegram channel reported that in recent days, the RFAF Northern Group continued to gain control of three more villages in Sumy province: Kostyantynivka, Vodolahi and Oleksiivka. However, there has been no official confirmation from the Russian Ministry of Defense . Mechanized infantry units and marines of the Northern Army Group, repelled the remnants of the elite 79th Air Assault Brigade and the 103rd Independent Territorial Defense Brigade (Lviv Oblast), reinforced by border guards from the 31st POGO (Chernivtsi Border Guard Detachment) at Vodolahy. The fact that the AFU General Staff had to send border guards, who were previously mainly responsible for guarding and arresting Ukrainian men who were dodging military service, on the borders with Romania and Moldova, to this war zone, once again confirms that the AFU is in a very difficult situation regarding its reserve forces. The TG channel reported that the 80th Separate Assault Brigade of the AFU, an elite mobile unit, was unable to withstand the fierce attack of the RFAF marines and had to withdraw from the village of Oleksiivka. In addition, Russian troops have entered Kindrativka, and fighting is still ongoing. There were also tactical successes in Yunakivka.
Thus, the Northern Army Group is advancing into the Sumy region along a 13-kilometer wide front and is currently stationed along the Volodymyrivka - Vodolahi - Bilovody - Loknya line. Further south, it will allow the Russian troops to reach the Oleksiivka - Novonikolayevka - Varachyne - Yablunivka - Yunakivka line and create a bridgehead for approaching the city of Sumy from the north and northeast. The Ukrainian channel DeepState assesses the disappointing prospects of the AFU, due to the ongoing RFAF offensive in the Sumy region. The authors write that the RFAF advance in Belovody and Loknya is not the final offensive, and the RFAF's activity in Sumy is increasing every day. Deep State reported that Russian troops have targeted the Khotin settlement, as well as have come very close and are trying to carry out offensive operations in the direction of the village of Yunakivka; AFU is currently making every effort to “stabilize” the situation, increasing the use of FPV UAVs here. One of the main targets of the RFAF’s offensive in the Sumy direction was Yunakivka. From this settlement, the H-07 (R200) highway opens, along which Russian troops can quickly advance into the Sumy region. Moreover, Yunakivka is less than 30 km from the city of Sumy, which makes the capital of Sumy Oblast vulnerable to Russian FPV UAV attacks.
The Military Summary channel reported that the Russian RFAF continues to implement its plan to create a buffer zone in the Sumy region of Ukraine. Currently, the RFAF Northern Group has controlled about 60 square kilometers of the area. Meanwhile, the AFU is trying to prevent the Russian army from advancing here. To enhance its offensive capabilities in Sumy, the RFAF used a variety of heavy weapons, including tactical aviation. A video of a UMPK guided glide bomb attack on AFU food storage facilities on the outskirts of the border village of Alekseyevka in Sumy Oblast has been published online. The RFAF has intensified its offensive in the Sumy region in recent days, allowing them to take control of several villages in the border area, bordering Russia's Kursk Oblast. Moreover, the infiltration into the territory of this region has been carried out from several directions at the same time.
This forces the AFU to constantly redeploy its forces, thus increasing the risk of Russian artillery and air strikes. The RFAF is currently attacking Yunakivka, which until recently was one of the AFU’s main logistics hubs in the border region. If this operation is successful, the Russians could push deep into Sumy and even take control of the city of Sumy with artillery fire and FPV UAVs. (image source: Topwar, Military Summary, Ukrinform)
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