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Russian forces capture four villages in Ukraine's Sumy region amid intense fighting
Russian forces have captured four villages in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region, the local governor said, the latest battlefield setback for Kyiv as it seeks to hold territory and avoid handing Moscow the advantage in any peace talks. read more
In this photo provided by Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade press service, Ukrainian servicemen attend a military training in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Monday, May 26, 2025. Photo- AP
Russian forces have seized four villages Novenke, Basivka, Veselivka and Zhuravka in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region, local governor Oleh Hryhorov announced. The recent Russian advancement is being considered a major setback for Kyiv as it tries to maintain control of the area and prevent Moscow from gaining leverage in any future peace negotiations.
The moves come in the wake of some of the largest drone and missile attacks on Ukraine since the full-scale war began in early 2022, although attacks briefly eased from Monday to Tuesday. Ukraine has responded by launching dozens of long-range drones into Russian territory, temporarily forcing the closure of some Moscow airports.
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The Sumy region, which Ukrainian forces previously used as a base for incursions into Russia's Kursk region, has been under heavy Russian bombardment for months.
Russia's Defence Ministry said on Monday it had taken the nearby village of Bilovody, implying a further advance in the more than three-year war.
Though Russia's offensive activity is concentrated in the eastern Donetsk region, Moscow's inroads into northeastern Ukraine show how it is stretching Kyiv's forces on multiple fronts.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has repeatedly warned that Russia is preparing new offensives against Sumy as well as the northeastern Kharkiv and southeastern Zaporizhzhia regions.
'There is much evidence that they are preparing new offensive operations. Russia is counting on further war,' he said on Monday, without elaborating.
HARSH WORDS FROM TRUMP
Zelenskiy has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet over peace talks, after representatives from the warring parties met in person earlier in May for the first time in three years.
Russia launched an unprecedented drone barrage against Ukraine at the end of last week, firing more than 900 drones as well as missiles over three nights, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to label Putin as 'crazy'.
Trump also said he was considering new sanctions against Russia to pressure Moscow to negotiate, but there has been no indication of action yet and he has shifted U.S. policy towards Russia's position since returning to office.
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Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday that the scale of Russia's overnight attacks dropped sharply from the preceding barrage.
Zelenskiy has repeatedly called for the West to step up sanctions pressure on Russia to force it to accept the need for peace.
During a trip to the Kursk region in March, Putin repeated his call for his military to consider establishing a 'buffer zone' along Russia's border.
Ukrainian officials have said for weeks that Russian troops are trying to make inroads into Sumy region, the main city of which lies less than 30 km from the border.
Russian forces, attacking in small groups on motorcycles and supported by drones, have been widening the area where they have been carrying out assaults, a spokesperson for Ukraine's border guard service said.
Hryhorov, the regional governor, said Ukraine's troops were 'keeping the situation under control, inflicting precise fire damage on the enemy'.
With inputs from agencies
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