Russian forces pose after a successful offensive in a nearby village, Ukrainian MoD confirms this force was destroyed in a subsequent Counter-Attack.
After a period of relative inaction in the Northern front of Ukraine, Russian forces from Kursk-Oblast have crossed the border once more into Sumy, seizing over Nine squared kilometers of ground from Ukrainian Armed Forces. Months prior Ukrainian forces had pushed into Kursk-Oblast in an attempt to take pressure off the Donbas front, however with the recapture of the full Oblast it seems Russian forces are refusing to re-route south, and are instead opening a new front into Ukraine from the North. In scenes reminiscent from the early days of this War, Russian tanks and IFVs roll into Sumy-oblast against, their ultimate goal is not known at this time, but reporters in the Ukrainian MoD believe it is a party of a Russian attempt to stretch the Ukrainian Army to the breaking point.
Alongside this offensive, a new round of missile and drone strikes across Ukraine have been reported, with a large focus on Kiev, Sumy, and Kharkov. Zelensky and the MoD report a 100% interception rate in areas with newly supplied Patriots and Flakpanzers, however they note not all areas can be brought under the umbrella of Western ADA at this time and there are many settlements that still need to shelter in basements with the warnings of the Russians missile raids.
Fragments of a destroyed Russian missile over Kiev.
These attacks come after repeated defeats in the south, against the once vaunted Ukrainian Armed Forces 35th Brigade. Once hailed as the heroes of Pryvlaine, they have received a series of terrible defeats around Dogechneya, and are being pulled off the front in order to be replenished, leaving fresh UAF forces to bear the brunt of the Russian assaults around the strategic southern city. In response to these attacks, Zelensky is set to go on a tour of Europe to seek further aid from NATO, noting the current aid from the United States has allowed them to hold on, but they will need serious assistance if they are to remove the Russian forces from Ukraine’s historic lands. There is also some concern with the recent outburst from Biden about Assad, and Israel, with Zelensky noting that the U.S. must always remember the blood Ukraine is spilling in the name of protecting Europe from Russia.
AAN News, reporting.