In Sumy Oblast, due to non-standard tactics, Russian units often do not survive longer than 10–15 minutes, said Kostyantyn Polishchuk, commander of the 1st UAV strike unit of the unmanned systems battalion of the 71st Separate Air Assault Brigade. Recently, infiltration attempts have again intensified in the region, according to Army TV.
According to him, the enemy in this sector is increasingly rarely using classic mechanized assaults.
Assaults without armor: Russian attacks reduced to motorcycles, quad bikes, and infantry
According to Ukrainian military personnel, mass armored assaults in this sector have almost disappeared. Instead, Russian units use light vehicles such as quad bikes, motorcycles, and occasionally civilian cars.
In fact, even such actions are conditionally considered “mechanized", although no heavy armored vehicles have been observed in this sector of the front for a long time. The main focus has shifted to infantry assaults and small-group infiltration.
Pipes as assault route: infiltration that ends within minutes
A separate feature of the sector is attempts to infiltrate through infrastructure objects, including pipelines. According to Polishchuk, Russian groups can stay inside pipes for several days before attempting to surface and establish positions.
“They like crawling for three days in a pipe. They come out and die in about 10–15 minutes. That’s how it usually ends,” he noted.
However, such episodes usually end quickly: after surfacing, the enemy loses combat capability under fire, and the UAV unit strikes.
Sumy region under distance control: Russian breakthrough attempts do not reach the regional center
Earlier, Viktor Trehubov, a representative of the Joint Forces Grouping, denied reports of a semi-encirclement threat to Sumy. According to him, Russian forces are located at a significant distance from the city, writes RBC-Ukraine.
Currently, only individual border settlements have come under enemy control, including Hrabovske and Myropilske. The depth of their advance is about 3–4 km, while Sumy is more than 35 km away.
“Gray zone” expanding: analysts record attempts to create a buffer along the border
According to the DeepState analytical project, Russia continues attempts to form a buffer zone along the state border in the Sumy region. Expansion of infiltration zones and pressure by small groups is being recorded.
As of the latest data, the area of such activity has reached about 150 square kilometers. However, analysts emphasize that this does not indicate a deep operational breakthrough or a threat of encirclement of Sumy.
