Abdujalil Abdurasulov
BBC News, Kyiv
Sumy’s emergency services
Residents of the Smee area will be evacuated from her village
The Russian military is making profits in the Smie region of northeastern Ukraine. This is a development that could be linked to Moscow’s attempts to create a “buffer zone” along the border, Ukrainian regional authorities say.
Ole Hlikorov, head of the Smie region, said Russian forces had seized four villages and the fight was continuing near other settlements in the area.
Russia claims so far it has won six villages in Sumy.
Last week, leader Vladimir Putin announced plans to create a “security buffer zone” along the border. “The enemy’s firing points are actively restrained and work is ongoing,” he said.
Putin said the buffer zone will be created to provide “additional support” to Russian regions across the borders of Ukraine’s Kharkiv, Smie and Chernichv regions.
In a statement on Facebook on Monday, Sumy’s Hryhorov wrote:
He added that the villages of Novenke, Basivka, Veselivka and Zhuravka – all were in Sumy.
Kiev has not yet officially stated that Russian troops are in the Smie region. When contacted by the BBC, Frikholov refused to confirm any information he shared on Monday.
.
The daily briefing of the general staff not name specific locations, but only mentioned conflicts and other military activities in the meaning of the Russian border, “The Kursk Direction.”
The Ukrainian army coordinates military activities in the region has rejected the BBC’s request for comment, indicating that information on Russian progress in the north is a very sensitive issue for Ukrainian authorities.
However, in his speech on Monday night, Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelensky mentioned Russia’s “preparation for a new attack.”
Deep Statemap, a group that monitors the latest frontline development in Ukraine, marked four Ukrainian villages, which are completely controlled by Russian troops, even before the announcement of Hirkhorov.
Roman, co-founder of Deep State, said Russian troops have been pushing these regions since March.
Ukrainian Army observer Kostiantin Maschwetz confirmed this, but he pointed out that Russia’s advancement is very slow – about 1km (0.6 miles) over the past two weeks. Machovets also said that Moscow recently moved new units from Donbas to the Smee area.
Colonel Vadym Mysnyk, a spokesman for the formation of ground forces involved in defending the Smee region, said Russian forces primarily use small groups on motorcycles and buggies during the attack.
The movement of the large armored vehicle could be quickly discovered and destroyed by drones, Colonel Mysnyk explained. Speed and mobility are important on the battlefield.
However, the Sumy region has been regularly attacked by Russian airstrikes and artillery bombings, and the regional administration has reported that Russia has dropped more than 30 guided bombs into the region since Saturday.
One of the biggest attacks came last month when a ballistic missile struck Sumy city, killing 34 people. A few weeks later, the drone hit an intercity bus killing nine people.
Russia claimed it would target housing, hospitals and private vehicles and panic among its population. Russia has denied that it targets civilians on strike, saying they are intended as military targets.
Local governments say evacuations are being carried out in 202 settlements near the frontline, which make up a third of all territorial communities in the area.
Serhiy Grabskiy, a retired colonel and military expert, agreed that Sumy’s advances were part of a plan to create a buffer zone in Moscow.
Grabskiy said Russia’s main strategic goal is to grab the Donbas region in the eastern part of the country, where the most intensive fighting takes place.
Given the number of troops they have, Grubsky argued that Russia “cannot concentrate its main force to go deeper into the north.”
He called the Smie region a “zone of distraction” – by maintaining pressure in the north, Russia forces Ukraine to spread its resources and weaken its position in the major frontline regions.
The US-based War Think Tank Institute also reports that Putin’s success can be used by Putin as leveraging and justifying new territorial demands as part of future peace talks.
However, observers agree that there is no immediate threat of a major breakthrough in the Smee region.
Based on the speed of their profits in the region so far, it is unlikely that in the near future, Russian troops will be able to acquire major cities like Sumy, which had a population of 250,000 before the invasion.
Poholi of the Deep State said the Ukrainian forces were able to stabilize the front line. “It’s been almost three months since then [Russia] We have started operations in the Smee area, but they are still in the border area,” he said.
Colonel Mysnyk argued that Ukraine has been building a line of defense along the entire border since 2022 and is now more prepared to stop Russian troops than the start of the Russian invasion.
However, if the Kremlin priorities change and Moscow sends greater power to Smee, these measures may not last long.
