Russian troops have suffered a defeat and lost control over several settlements in Sumy region, said in an interview with RCC-Ukraine, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukrinform reported, quoted by BTA.
"In Sumy region, the enemy suffered a defeat. Despite deploying powerful forces of elite units - paratroopers, marines and motorized rifle formations - they have not been able to achieve any success in the past two months," said Syrsky.
He added that Russia's latest attempt to advance near Stepne and Novokostyantinovka ended in complete failure.
"The attackers were destroyed and pushed back across the state border. We are continuing offensive operations in the area. Realizing the futility of their efforts, the enemy is now redirecting parts of Sumy to other fronts, primarily to Zaporozhye," said Syrsky.
According to him, the situation on the front line is currently very complicated. It is marked by the continuation of Russia's strategic offensive operation. The enemy is currently regrouping and focusing on two main directions.
"The first is the Pokrovskoye direction, which remains a key priority for the Russians. And now the enemy is transferring its forces from the Sumy to the Zaporozhye direction. In other words, this will be the second axis along which they plan to launch active offensive operations," he said.
Syrsky noted that to date, the activity of the Zaporozhye direction remains low-intensity.