KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces have reportedly captured four border villages in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region, as confirmed by local official Oleh Hryhorov on Tuesday. This escalation follows Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent order to establish a buffer zone along the border.
In addition to this territorial advance, a Russian bombing campaign that had intensified in recent days appeared to slow overnight, with significantly fewer drones attacking Ukrainian towns and cities. Officials revealed that Russia launched approximately 900 drones at Ukraine over the weekend, with the most significant attack occurring on Sunday night, when 355 drones were deployed in one assault.
Despite intense U.S.-led efforts aiming for a ceasefire and peace talks, Moscow's invasion shows no signs of stopping. The first direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in three years took place earlier this month in Turkey, but, apart from a substantial prisoner exchange, there have been no meaningful breakthroughs in discussions.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that from Monday to Tuesday, Russia fired 60 drones at Ukraine. In contrast, Russian authorities claimed that their air defenses had intercepted 99 Ukrainian drones overnight across seven regions within Russia.
In Sumy, after taking control of the four villages, Russian forces are attempting to push further into Ukrainian territory. Hryhorov assured that Ukrainian forces are working to maintain their defensive positions, emphasizing that residents of the captured villages had already been evacuated, hence there is currently no immediate threat to civilians.
Putin's recent visit to the Kursk region was notable, as it was his first since Moscow claimed to have expelled Ukrainian forces from the area last month, a claim denied by Kyiv officials. A pocket of land in Kursk was reported to have been seized by Ukraine last August, highlighting ongoing tensions along the border.
Putin pointed out the continued vulnerability of the long border to potential Ukrainian incursions, revealing that he had instructed the Russian military to create a “security buffer zone” along this boundary. However, he did not provide specific details regarding the proposed zone's location or extent. Previously, Putin had suggested that a Russian offensive aimed to establish a buffer zone in northeastern Kharkiv to protect the Belgorod region in Russia, which has experienced frequent Ukrainian attacks.
