Intense Clashes in Sumy Oblast as Ukraine Repels Russian Border Assault

Russian forces attempted to cross the border into Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast near the village of Novenke on February 25 but were repelled by Ukrainian forces, Dmytro Lykhovii, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s General Staff, told Interfax-Ukraine on February 28.

Since then, Russian troops have continued their attempts to carry out attacks in the area, Lykhovii said, amid reports of renewed efforts to breach the border.

His comments follow the DeepState monitoring group marking Novenke as a contested area, suggesting Russian forces had entered Sumy Oblast. The village lies just across the border, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the regional capital, Sumy.

Sumy Oblast, in northeastern Ukraine, borders Russia’s Kursk Oblast, where Ukrainian forces launched an incursion last summer to divert Moscow’s troops from Donbas and disrupt plans for an offensive from the north.

"On February 25, [Russia] stormed this section of the border [at Novenke] with forces of up to two mechanized units, crossed the state border of Ukraine, but was blocked and thrown back to the territory of the Russian Federation," Lykhovii told Interfax-Ukraine.

"Subsequently, Russian troops continue to attempt assault actions, now with infantry groups."

Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, said Russia has been carrying out infantry assaults near Novenke for several days, leading to localized skirmishes at the border. Kovalenko dismissed the notion that the attacks signaled the start of a new offensive, saying Russia does not have "neither the strength nor the means for this."

Earlier on February 27, North Korea sent more troops to Russia for its war against Ukraine.