Russian troops are probing our defensive line on Kharkiv-Sumy border – Trehubov
On the border between Kharkiv and Sumy regions, Russian units are trying to test the resilience of Ukrainian defenses, seeking to form a controlled zone along the state border.
This was reported on television by Lieutenant Colonel Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for the Joint Forces Grouping, Censor.NET reports, citing ArmyInform.
Border trend
According to him, a careful probing of the defensive line for weak spots is ongoing along the border. The occupiers have not abandoned their intentions to create a "control zone" along the border line.
"Their task overall was to create a control zone up to 30 kilometers deep. This is absolutely unachievable, but they are trying to create at least about a kilometer in depth, at least to enter somewhere into Ukraine’s territory and simply entrench. They managed to do this in the village of Hrabovske, for example. A vivid example. But further on, despite attempts to move farther near the village of Riasne, they still failed to do this," the spokesperson for the Joint Forces Grouping said.
He added that the course of hostilities is also affected by the weather. For example, frost paralyzes UAVs.
"In severe frost, the fiber-optic line freezes up. You can’t really fly fiber-optic UAVs much because the cable that trails behind them becomes very brittle. And if we talk about copters, their blades and rotors ice up. It either won’t take off, or it will take off and crash. These difficulties apply to both sides," Trehubov noted.
Background
- Earlier, the media reported that Russian forces entered a border village in Sumy region and took about 50 people from there.
- Subsequently, the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the information.
- In turn, Viktor Trehubov, head of the communications department of the Joint Forces Grouping, noted that this was a local provocation rather than a large-scale breakthrough.
- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on the international community to respond to Russia's abduction of 50 civilians from the village of Hrabovske in the Sumy region.
- On December 22, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that among the 52 civilians taken out of Hrabovske in the Sumy region by Russian occupiers, there were children. Ukrainian servicemen were also taken prisoner by Russia.
