Russia maintains 40,000-strong force on border with the Sumy region, - "Steel Border" brigade
Across from the Sumy Oblast, Russia has concentrated approximately 40,000 regular army troops. The situation along the border remains tense.
According to Censor.NET, the head of the press service for the 15th Mobile Border Guard Detachment "Steel Border," Colonel Ivan Shevtsov.
He noted that Russian troops continue to attempt to storm the positions of the Defense Forces in the Sumy region. In particular, the enemy is most active in the territories of the Khotyn and Yunakiv communities. There, the Russians attempt to launch assaults almost every day. In other sections of the border area, they are shelling populated areas with artillery and attack drones.
Russia is trying to create a buffer zone
As the military official explained, one of the goals of the Russian forces is to create a buffer zone 20–30 kilometers wide along Ukraine's state border.
"The enemy's goal is to create a 20- to 30-kilometer buffer zone along the state border. For more than two years now, the enemy has been trying to make this dream a reality. But thanks to the successful and effective work of both our brigade and other units of the Defense Forces, the enemy has not been able to achieve this," Shevtsov noted.
Why Isn't the Size of the Russian Force Decreasing?
According to a representative of the border guard unit, there are approximately 40,000 Russian troops stationed across from the Sumy region. The size of the force has not changed significantly, as Russia regularly rotates its troops and replenishes its losses.
"As of today, a professional standing army is deployed opposite the Sumy region. Its strength has not increased—it remains at about 40,000 personnel, as before—but rotations are constantly taking place. This is primarily because the enemy is suffering significant losses here, both in personnel and in equipment. And all these losses must be constantly replenished," Shevtsov said.
He specifically highlighted the role of drones in countering Russian forces. In particular, fiber-optic drones—which Ukrainian units use to target enemy personnel and military equipment—have proven effective.
