Sumy Region is likely to become a battlefield once again in the near future, said Lieutenant Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine's Security Council.

"Sumy Region. Defence forces are ready. It is important for you to know this," Kovalenko wrote. A few hours later, he elaborated, saying that similar to the situation in Kharkiv, this concerns a border military operation by the Russian army.

"There are no significant troop formations on the Kharkiv and Sumy fronts that would indicate preparations for rapid breakthroughs at this time. The enemy might conduct limited operations in the border areas. The possibility of occupying regional centres is not currently under consideration," said Kovalenko.

A few days ago, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence (GUR MO), Kyrylo Budanov, announced that Russian forces would attempt to advance near Kharkiv for another "3-4 days" before launching a decisive offensive in the direction of Sumy.

Russian military expert Yan Matveev has highlighted that a potential Russian invasion of the Sumy region would be a serious miscalculation. According to Matveev, considering the modest achievements of Russian forces near Kharkiv, it would be unwise to further stretch their front lines.

"There have been initial statements indicating that the Russian army is preparing an attack on Sumy Region… While these reports remain unconfirmed, we are monitoring the situation closely. If they truly decide on this action, it will represent an almost fantastical dispersion of their forces," Matveev wrote.

The Russian offensive in Kharkiv region commenced at dawn on 10 May. Russian forces managed to breach the front line at two points but, as experts predicted, they did not achieve significant gains. They advanced only 7 km into Ukrainian territory, capturing a few deserted border villages. The offensive has since stalled, with Ukrainian forces stabilising the front and launching counterattacks.

  War in Ukraine, Sumy

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