Russian forces are stepping up attacks on Ukraine's northeastern border in an attempt to enter Sumy region, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky said today, as quoted by Reuters. In a Facebook post, he announced that he had visited Ukrainian troops in the region, Ukrinform reported, BTA reports.
Sumy Oblast borders Russia's Kursk Oblast, where Russian forces are pushing Ukrainian units out of territories captured in August last year, Reuters reports.
According to Syrysky, Ukrainian servicemen are conducting both defensive and offensive operations, seeking to maintain a buffer zone on the territory of Kursk Oblast.
“Our servicemen continue to conduct defensive actions to prevent the enemy from penetrating deep into Ukrainian territory,“ he wrote on Facebook.
Syrsky's statement comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned the French newspaper Le Figaro that Russia was preparing for a spring offensive in Sumy and Kharkiv Oblasts, Reuters notes.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian border forces told the media that Russian sabotage groups are carrying out cross-border attacks in the Sumy region.
“Due to the increasing frequency of enemy actions and its attempts to push our forces out and transfer hostilities to the territory of the Sumy region, I held a working meeting with representatives of the assault air forces, the marines, the territorial defense, the mechanized brigades and other combat units“, said Sirsky.
During his visit, he got acquainted with the operational situation and logistical needs of the front. The general made decisions on additional supplies of ammunition and drones, as well as on sending reinforcements from reservists.