Russia trying to seize border villages in Sumy region for 10 days – military spokesperson

Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for the Joint Forces Task Force, announced this on television, Ukrinform reports.

"There is significant pressure in the Sumy region, particularly near the villages of Hrabovske and Myropilske. Overall, along the border, the Russians have been quite actively trying over the past ten days to capture settlements located directly on the border," he said.

According to Trehubov, after Russian forces removed more than 50 civilians from the village of Hrabovske in December last year, nearby settlements were evacuated deeper into Ukrainian territory.

He noted that current Russian efforts are aimed at advancing about 500 meters into Ukrainian territory, rather than attempting to capture civilians.

Commenting on the situation in the Kharkiv region, Trehubov said it remains largely unchanged.

"As for the Kharkiv region, everything is as before – the same enclaves and small incursions. These include the tiny area of Dehtiarne and two separate zones in the Southern Slobozhanshchyna sector, one of which is Vovchansk. There is nothing fundamentally new. We are seeing a renewed intensification of efforts similar to what we observed in winter," he said.

Meanwhile, State Border Guard Service spokesperson Andrii Demchenko reported that over the past day, Russian troops attempted assault operations along border sections in both Sumy and Kharkiv regions.

"Attempted assaults were recorded in the Sumy region, and also within the Kharkiv region. Recently, such activity has been observed near the settlement of Vovchanski Khutory in the Kharkiv region. As for the Sumy region, where Border Guard units are deployed, fortunately, there has been no increase in assault activity aimed at attacking positions held by our troops," Demchenko said.

He added that Russian forces continue intensive shelling in the Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions but have been unable to advance due to Ukrainian defensive positions.

"The enemy continuously sends in soldiers to probe Ukrainian defenses and identify Ukrainian firing positions," he said.

Photo: General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces