Summer offensive has begun – will Sumy become a new hotspot of war?
30 May 2025 14:27
Russian troops are seizing border villages, fighting continues in the Sumy region, Zelensky cancels international trips, and the military is sounding the alarm: there are not enough people at the front. Has the Kremlin’s summer offensive campaign really begun? Is Sumy region ready to become Ukraine’s new shield? Why does Russia not necessarily want to storm regional centers, and why does it need a buffer zone on our territory? [ Kommersant was looking for answers to these questions.
The situation in northeastern Ukraine is escalating: Russian troops have seized several border settlements in Sumy region and are trying to push deeper into Ukrainian territory. This was reported on May 27 by the head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, Oleg Grigorov.
According to him, the villages of Novenke and Basivka of the Yunakivska community, as well as Veselivka and Zhuravka of the Khotynska community are currently under the control of the occupiers. At the same time, Hryhorov emphasized that the residents of these settlements were evacuated in advance, so there is no immediate threat to civilians.
“The Ukrainian Defense Forces are keeping the situation under control, inflicting precision fire on the enemy. Our defenders are decisively repelling the attacks and preventing them from advancing further,”
– said Oleh Hryhorov
Active hostilities continue on the outskirts of Vodolahy village, near Volodymyrivka, Bilovody, Kostyantynivka, Kindrativka of Khotyn community, as well as on the outskirts of Loknya. The enemy is trying to create a so-called “buffer zone” by entering in small assault groups.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters on May 27 that Russia had deployed more than 50,000 soldiers to Sumy region, acknowledging the complexity of the situation but emphasizing that the Ukrainian side also has its successes.
“Now they are amassing troops in the Sumy direction. More than 50 thousand. We understand that. But we have successes there. Today (May 27 – ed.), for example, we took 8 prisoners in the area of Tiotkino.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Moreover, according to the German magazine SPIEGEL, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy even canceled his participation in the Karlsson Prize ceremony, which was to take place on May 28. He decided to urgently return to Kyiv because of the threatening situation in northeastern Ukraine, particularly in the Sumy region. Although the Office of the President of Ukraine denied this information.
A military man on the defense of Sumy region: “We are preparing, but we cannot win the war without people”
Despite the technical readiness for defense, the main challenge for the defense of Sumy region remains the lack of trained and motivated personnel. Read more in the commentary
According to him, Sumy region does have some engineering training, but Ukraine’s experience of defense in other regions, particularly in Donetsk, makes one cautious in making predictions.
“It is difficult to say anything, to predict. On the one hand, Sumy is technically ready to defend itself, Sumy region is prepared. But I know places in Donetsk region where there were even better fortifications. And they are now far behind the Russians’ lines,”
– says officer Tykhyi.
He emphasizes that even the best fortifications do not guarantee the sustainability of the defense without a sufficient number of soldiers.
“The big problem we have is the lack of personnel. It is both a quantitative shortage and a lack of well-trained and motivated soldiers. This is the main problem,”
– emphasizes Tykhyi.
Against the backdrop of reports of a possible large-scale Russian offensive in the Sumy sector, these words are a reminder that defense is not only about engineering lines, but above all about people.
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Zhorin: “Russia wants to enter Sumy and Kharkiv regions to bargain for Ukrainian territory”
Ukraine must urgently respond to the growing threat in the northeast. The enemy may not aim to capture regional centers, but it seeks to create a zone of control in the border area to use it as an argument in political bargaining. This was stated by the deputy commander of the 3rd separate assault brigade , Maksym Zhorin.
According to him, the enemy has not accumulated a critical amount of forces and means, but the problem is not only in the depth of the invasion.
“It is clear that the forces accumulated by the Russian Federation are not enough to capture all regions or regional centers. The task is most likely to simply go deep into the territory and use it, including in the negotiation process. They will say that they could have taken the entire region, but they just didn’t want to,”
– Maksym Zhorin said.
The military man also emphasized that the question is not “how many kilometers the Russians will go,” but that their presence is already an information tool for influence. This will add two more regions to their agenda, said Zhorin.
According to the soldier, we need to respond immediately. And it is not only about defensive actions, but also about comprehensive preparation of the rear.
“Given the situation, we need to urgently prepare logistics, close roads with anti-drone nets, and build engineering and fortification structures that take into account the modern war on drones. We should not sit and wait until they reach some city,”
– urged Zhorin.
Summer campaign has begun: what are the challenges facing the Ukrainian Defense Forces?
Russia has not abandoned its plans for an offensive – the summer campaign has begun, and threats are observed along the entire front line. However, the situation is not critical, says military expert, colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Roman Svitan in a commentary
“We have a serious situation along the entire front line – 1,500 kilometers, where 650,000 Russians are spread out. And the situation is equally grave along the entire line,”
– Svitan said.
According to him, the Ukrainian army is preparing for the summer campaign in a defensive mode, while Russia is preparing in an offensive mode. These are the realities of the balance of power.
“We will now be waiting for the advancing Russian army, which will try to carry out certain offensive operations along the entire width of the front. But it will not be everywhere at once, but in a dozen directions,”
– says Roman Svitan.
He names the Sumy direction as one of the potential offensive directions, along with such areas as Siversk, Pokrovsk, Huliaypole, Orikhiv, Kupiansk, Lyman, Kharkiv, as well as the southern front – from the Kinburn Spit to Nova Kakhovka.
“Russians are advancing where there are roads. An advancing army is always tied to roads. And every year it is the same story: accumulation of forces, attempts to break through. This is a standard set of actions,”
– emphasizes Svitan.
Despite the escalation, the reserve colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine urges everyone to remain calm. He says this is an expected scenario, and the main task of the Ukrainian army, according to him, is effective defense.
“We need to wear down all Russian offensive potential in defensive battles. With losses of 1 to 5, or even 1 to 7, it is beneficial for us to defend ourselves. We will save the lives of our soldiers and our potential.”
Roman Svitan
The colonel also emphasized the importance of personnel decisions in the army: Ukraine should urgently launch a rotation system and involve those who are currently working in government agencies in the frontline.
“It’s time to launch civil service with a mandatory prerequisite – only after serving in the Armed Forces. Hundreds of thousands of people are now in the rear without combat missions. They have to replace the guys on the front line,”
– Svitan noted.
Summarizing, the expert believes that with rotation and a proper defense strategy, the situation will remain under control. If we work accurately, we will not have any problems.
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