Ukraine’s Border Guard: Russia amasses 50,000 troops in Sumy’s Kursk axis as assaults wane
Ukraine’s “Stalevyi Kordon” (Steel Border) border guard brigade says Russian forces are pressing forward on only one axis - the Kursk direction. Moscow has not met its objectives there but is building up troops.
“In the Sumy region, the situation remains quite tense specifically on the Kursk axis — within the Khotin and Yunakivka territorial communities. That’s where the enemy is concentrating the largest number of personnel — about 50,000,” Ivan Shevtsov, head of the Steel Border brigade’s press service, told Novyny.LIVE.
He said Russian forces are conducting active assaults in that sector. Seven clashes were recorded over the past day, all of which were repelled.
“The Defense Forces are doing everything possible and impossible to hold the enemy on the Kursk axis,” Shevtsov said.
He added there are no Russian advances in other areas. However, shelling there has not stopped, with guided aerial bombs and artillery strikes, as well as reconnaissance and attack drones, being used.
State Border Guard Service of Ukraine representative Andriy Demchenko also confirmed to Espreso TV that the Kursk axis is currently the most active sector in the Sumy region.
“I’d remind you that the border with Russia in the Sumy region is about 550 kilometers, and only on a small section is the enemy showing intensity with small infantry groups - within the Khotin and Yunakivka hromadas (communities),” he said.
Demchenko said Russian forces have been stopped. They have failed to achieve their goals, and Ukraine’s Defense Forces are counterattacking and pushing the enemy back beyond Ukraine’s territory.
“As for the positions of State Border Guard Service units in this sector within our defensive lines, I can also note that the enemy’s attempts to advance — these small infantry groups — have decreased significantly. Although artillery, aviation and drone strikes have not stopped, the number of assault attempts is much lower,” Demchenko said.
On August 12, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Defense Forces had liberated six occupied villages and key positions out of 18 in the Sumy region and had reached the border with Russia in two places.
Earlier, on August 11, Ukrainian Armed Forces Major Andriy Tkachuk said the situation on the Sumy axis was stabilizing. He stressed the Russians lack the capability to advance on the regional capital, despite “dramatically ratcheting up the situation.”