Border battles continue in Hrabovske, Sumy region - AFU

This was reported on television by Viktor Trehubov, head of communications for the Joint Forces Operation, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.

According to him, the hostilities are in the nature of direct border combat.

“As of now, the fighting continues, with the Russians trying to cling to the southern outskirts of the village. It should be understood that we are talking about a small piece of land: the entire village covers an area of 4 square kilometers and is actually located on the border,” Trehubov said.

He explained that the enemy has advanced about a kilometer from the Russian border, and the distances in this area do not allow for the creation of a classic line of demarcation.

“We are talking about a direct border battle here. It is impossible to place Ukrainian troops between the Russians and the village because there is simply no space between them,” Trehubov emphasized.

Separately, the representative of the Joint Forces Group drew attention to the unusual situation with the capture of civilians.

“It is unpleasant and strange that a situation has arisen in which the Russians have effectively taken hostages. Before the war, there were about 700 residents in the village, and now there were less than a hundred, mostly elderly people, and the Russians took advantage of this moment and took them away,” he said.

Commenting on the information about the location of the civilians' deportation, Trehubov noted that the Russian side had stated that it was Belhorod, but this information needs to be verified.

"They were told that they were being taken to Belhorod. Whether this is really the case is best left to the special services to find out. The task of the Ukrainian troops is to eliminate the Russian presence in the settlement, not to free hostages already on Russian territory," he explained.

According to Trehubov, the main task now is to prevent further enemy advances and provocations in adjacent areas of the front.

“That is why both the civil administration and the troops have begun additional evacuations from settlements in the Sumy region,” he added.

Trehubov also commented on reports of possible miscalculations by Ukrainian units holding this section.

“Of course, this information is being verified. If such a situation arose, it is necessary to analyze why it arose and whether it could have been effectively prevented. But understand me correctly, I am a person whose word is the official position, so until the investigation is complete, I cannot accuse anyone,” he stressed.

As reported by Ukrinform, Viktor Trehubov, head of communications for the Joint Forces Operation, explained how Russian occupiers kidnapped civilians in the Sumy region: people were gathered in a church and then taken to Russia.

Photo: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine