On 3 February, a Russian sabotage group attempted to breach Ukraine’s northern border in Sumy Oblast, reported Ukraine’s Joint Forces Commander Lt-Gen Serhii Naiev.
Russian forces daily shell border regions of northern Ukraine. They also employ sabotage groups, which clash with Ukrainian border guards. However, according to Ukrainian commanders, there has been no major Russian troop buildup in that area.
Per Naiev, there were 10 armed Russians. Ukrainian border guards opened small arms and mortar fire on them, also calling for reinforcements. The Russians then changed tactics, splitting into two groups.
“One Russian group evacuated casualties under artillery cover. The second tried flanking the strongpoint but a Ukrainian counter-sabotage unit had arrived. The 90-minute battle ended with the attackers driven far beyond the border,”Naiev wrote on Telegram.
The situation remains difficult in Sumy Oblast bordering Russia not only due to shelling, but attempted border breaches. On 27 January, a Russian sabotage group shot dead two people driving in the border village of Andriivka.
As a result, Ukraine banned vehicle travel on certain road sections within 5 kilometers of the Russian border in Sumy Oblast.
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