Ukraine has halted Russia's advance in the northern Sumy region,
commander says
[June 27, 2025]
By ILLIA NOVIKOV
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian forces have halted Russia’s recent
advance into the northern Sumy region and have stabilized the front line
near the border with Russia, Ukraine’s top military commander said
Thursday.
Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed
forces, said that Ukrainian successes in Sumy have prevented Russia from
deploying about 50,000 Russian troops, including elite airborne and
marine brigades, to other areas of the front line.
His claim couldn't be independently verified, and Russian officials made
no immediate comment.
Russian forces have been slowly grinding forward at some points on the
roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, though their incremental
gains have been costly in terms of troop casualties and damaged armor.
The outnumbered Ukrainian army has relied heavily on drones to keep the
Russians back.
Months of U.S.-led international efforts to stop the more than three
years of war have failed. Amid the hostilities, the two sides have
continued swaps of prisoners of war agreed on during recent talks
between their delegations in Istanbul.
Russia’s Defense Ministry and Ukrainian authorities said another
exchange took place on Thursday.
Ukraine’s coordination headquarters for POWs said the swap included
injured soldiers and those with health complaints. The youngest is 24
and the oldest is 62, it said, adding that more exchanges are expected
soon.
Sumy, the city which is the capital of the Ukrainian region of the same
name, had a prewar population of around 250,000. It lies about 20
kilometers (12 miles) from the front line. Russia’s push into the region
earlier this year compelled Ukraine to strengthen its defenses there.
A special defense group has been formed to improve security in Sumy and
surrounding communities, Syrskyi said, with a focus on improving
fortifications and accelerating construction of defensive barriers.
[to top of second column]
|
People hold photos of their missed relatives as Ukrainian soldiers
return from captivity during a POWs exchange between Russia and
Ukraine, in Chernyhiv region, Ukraine, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (AP
Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
In March, Ukrainian forces withdrew from much of Russia’s
neighboring Kursk region, parts of which they had controlled after a
surprise cross-border attack in August.
That retreat enabled Russia to launch a counteroffensive that
advanced between 2-12 kilometers (1-7 miles) into Ukrainian
territory, according to different estimates.
Ukrainian officials say fierce fighting is also taking place in the
eastern Donetsk region.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday that its forces have
captured two villages, Novoserhiivka and Shevchenko, in Donetsk.
Capturing Shevchenko marked an important stage in Russia’s ongoing
offensive that is trying to break into Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk
region, which borders Donetsk and is a major industrial center,
according to the ministry.
Meanwhile, the two sides continued to launch long-range strikes.
The Russian ministry said 50 Ukrainian drones were downed over nine
regions overnight, including three over the Moscow region.
Ukraine's air force said that Russia deployed 41 Shahed and decoy
drones across the country overnight, wounding five people. It said
that 24 drones were either intercepted or jammed.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
