Before the start of the Ukrainian incursion into Russia, residents of the Sumy region noticed a larger-than-usual number of military convoys on the forest roads not far from the border with the Kursk region. But if the signs were there, no one – Ukrainians or Russians alike – could have guessed that Kyiv's troops would cross the nearby demarcation line into Russian Federation soil at dawn on August 6. The majority of the experienced soldiers deployed in the area were not even informed of the objective until the day before the operation. The secret was well kept.

The town of Sumy quickly became the obligatory crossing point for thousands of Ukrainian soldiers speeding along in armored vehicles covered with a white triangle, the symbol of this offensive. For a country that has been invaded and bombed on a regular basis since February 2022, this transposition of the war to Russian territory has a taste of revenge. Images of soldiers marching on enemy flags, parading through Russian villages and taking prisoners of war have been shared en masse on social media. Children waved Ukrainian flags on the road leading to the border.

Then, very quickly, the exaltation of the offensive – a means for Ukraine, according to its President Volodymyr Zelensky, to gain a position of strength in future negotiations with Russia – gave way to concern. While part of the population rejoiced, there were fears of Russian reprisals. Artillery fire on the Sumy region, almost customary until then, has now been replaced by strikes with devastating guided aerial bombs. And thousands of civilians, forced to evacuate border villages, have fled.

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