- Category
- Latest news
Ukrainian Forces Hold the Line in Sumy Region as Russia Masses 50,000 Troops
- Authors
![Amira_barkhush]( "Photo of Amira Barkhush")
Moscow has assembled a 50,000 military grouping now advancing toward Sumy, The Wall Street Journal reported on June 29, citing Ukrainian soldiers on the front line.
The servicemen stated that the attacking forces outnumbered them three to one.
“Their main strategy,” Oleksandr Syrskiy, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said of the Russians, is to “wear us down with their numbers.”
According to Syrskyi, the front line has expanded by more than 160 kilometers over the past year and now stretches over 1,200 kilometers. WSG added that this month, Ukraine was forced to deploy the elite Timur unit, special forces from the Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate, to the Sumy region. Their efforts helped halt the Russian advance and reclaim some territory.
“Their numbers are a big problem for us, though not enough to overrun us,” said Kappa, a commander in the Timur unit, told the outlet. “The enemy is losing between 300 and 400 soldiers a day across the region. But they can absorb those losses and keep bringing in reinforcements.”
On June 26, Syrskyi stated that Russian forces’ advances in the border areas of the Sumy region have been halted and the combat line stabilized.
“On the Northeastern Slobozhanshchyna and Kursk axes, Ukrainian forces have once again pinned down around 50,000 Russian troops, including elite airborne and naval infantry brigades,” Syrskyi said.
Earlier, it was reported that Ukraine is starting to cover roads in the Sumy region, particularly in border communities, with anti-drone netting to hinder Russian aerial reconnaissance and protect supply routes.
