The Ukrainian State Border Guard Service reports a decrease in the activity of Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups in northern Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast, despite ongoing daily cross-border shelling by Russian forces. This information was shared by Andriy Demchenko, the spokesman for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine on Ukrainian TV, Ukrinform reports.

After the initial push in its full-scale invasion, the Russians withdrew from Sumy Oblast back in March 2022, yet continued cross border attacks, involving artillery, drones, air-based weaponry, and infiltration attempts by sabotage groups. This May, the Ukrainian intelligence warned that Russia was plotting a ground attack on the region. In June, the US eased its restrictions for Ukraine, allowing to use the American-supplied weapons against targets inside Russia, adjacent to Ukraine’s Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts.

Demchenko characterized the situation in Sumy as one of “daily shelling, which Russia does not stop carrying out on the territory of Ukraine within this region.” He added that shelling also continues in the northern and Kharkiv regions.

However, Demchenko noted that “fortunately, the activity of enemy reconnaissance groups in the Sumy region has somewhat decreased recently.“

The spokesman highlighted the challenges faced by Ukrainian forces in the area, explaining that many settlements in the region are located directly on the state border line, complicating the presence of Ukrainian forces due to Russian actions.

Demchenko assured that “all attempts, even in such conditions, attempts by enemy sabotage groups to enter are, of course, under the full control of Ukrainian defenders.” He emphasized that Ukrainian forces promptly expel the Russians beyond the borders of Ukrainian territory, preventing them from establishing a foothold.

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