Ukraine has no plans to retreat and will continue blocking all attempts by Russian occupiers to advance in northern regions, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirms. Russian troops have been conducting assaults in Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts, forcibly deporting people from border villages, as per UNIAN.
Last week, Ukrainian Ombudsperson Dmytro Lubinets said that Russian forces abducted 19 residents of Sopych, a small village near the Sumy–Russia border. Analysts from the DeepState portal have also reported an expansion of “red zones” along areas held by Territorial Defense units.
In early December, Russia captured a 45-square-kilometer area around Hrabovske, and now the neighboring villages of Popivka and Vysoke are under pressure.
“Buffer zone” has remained Russian objective for year
Zelenskyy emphasizes that Russia’s goal of creating a “buffer zone” in Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts, and beyond, has long been a longstanding one. He stresses that Ukraine continues to block these plans.
“No one has abandoned this goal, but we haven’t abandoned ours. We block them everywhere. So there are no current risks in Sumy region," he says.
He adds that soldiers are actively defending all settlements, civilian infrastructure, and cities, while Russian forces target civilians.
“Thousand cuts” tactic in 12 areas of front
According to Lt. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi, commander of the Joint Forces grouping, the Russian “Sever” group aims to establish a “buffer zone” along the border, per Ukrainska Pravda.
Occupiers operate in small units, from assault companies to battalions, using the “thousand cuts” tactic—hit-and-run assaults without deploying heavy weapons or launching full-scale assaults.
The Ukrainian command has identified 12 key areas where Russia is attempting to establish buffer zones, including the Krasnopilskyi and Velykopysarivskyi directions in Sumy Oblast and the Zolochivskyi direction in Kharkiv Oblast.
