Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine that Russian forces have suffered defeat in the Sumy direction and are now redeploying troops to other front sections.
Russian forces launched a cross-border offensive into Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast in early 2025, aiming to counter Ukrainian advances in Kursk. Despite initial Russian territorial gains and sustained attacks, Ukrainian forces have halted the Russian advance by mid-2025, stabilizing the front line and conducting active defense and counterattacks in the oblast.
“In Sumy Oblast, the enemy (Russian forces) has suffered defeat,” Syrskyi said.
The Ukrainian commander said that Russia had concentrated a powerful grouping in the Sumy Oblast, including elite units.
“Despite the fact that a truly powerful grouping was concentrated there from the best Russian units – paratroopers, marines and the best motorized rifle units of the ground forces, the enemy had no success in the last two months. On the contrary, it lost several settlements,” he said.
Syrskyi highlighted the failure of Russia’s most recent offensive attempts. The latest Russian effort to advance near Stepne and Novokostiantynivka ended in complete failure, according to the commander.
“The Russian forces were destroyed, thrown back beyond the state border,” Syrskyi said.
Ukrainian forces continue their advance in this direction while Russia has begun withdrawing troops from the Sumy Oblast. “The Russian forces, understanding the futility of this direction of its actions, is now transferring units from there to other directions, mainly to Zaporizhzhia,” Syrskyi concluded.
The commander previously said in late June that Ukrainian defenders had managed to stop Russian forces in Sumy Oblast. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that Ukrainian forces achieved certain successes in northern Sumy Oblast.