Latest news with #AndriiDemchenko
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Russia increased assaults by 19% in May compared to April
DeepState, a Ukrainian group of military analysts, has reported that the average number of daily offensive attacks by Russian forces has increased by 19% in May 2025 compared to April. Source: DeepState Details: According to DeepState, the average number of attacks per day rose from 154.8 in April to 183.6 in May. Quote: "The enemy was especially active at the beginning and end of May, trying to maintain a high intensity of attacks." Russian assaults during 1 January 2025 - 31 May 2025 Photo: DeepState Details: While in April the Russians conducted over 190 attacks per day only twice, in May there were already 13 such days. The most intense day was 4 May, when the Russians launched 269 assault actions. Background: On 1 June, Andrii Demchenko, State Border Guard Service spokesman, said on air during the national 24/7 newscast that the Russians continue to press in Sumy Oblast, expanding the territory for its troops to advance. Demchenko explained that Russian assault groups, often using all-terrain vehicles or motorcycles, attempt to penetrate deep into Ukrainian territory, await reinforcements and then attack Ukrainian positions. On 31 May, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that the Russian army had become significantly more active on the Zaporizhzhia front, where it is conducting active offensive operations. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Russian assault groups expand attacks in Ukraine's Sumy Oblast
Russian forces are deploying small infantry groups to put pressure on Ukrainian defences in Sumy Oblast, aiming to expand their foothold. Source: Andrii Demchenko, State Border Guard Service spokesman, on air during the national 24/7 newscast Quote: "The situation in Sumy Oblast, particularly in Yunakivka and Khotyn hromadas, remains challenging. [Hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories – ed.]. The enemy continues to exert pressure, using small infantry and assault groups to accumulate forces and conduct operations, attacking Ukrainian defenders' positions on our territory. This has been ongoing, most actively around Basivka and Zhuravka. Recently, the enemy has expanded these efforts westward, targeting settlements like Vasylivka and Volodymyrivka," he said. Demchenko explained that Russian assault groups, often using all-terrain vehicles or motorcycles, attempt to penetrate deep into Ukrainian territory, await reinforcements, and then attack Ukrainian positions. He noted that Russian forces face Ukrainian counterfire not only in Ukraine but also in Russia's Kursk Oblast. Background: Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said in his report for May that the Russian army has become significantly more active on the Zaporizhzhia front and has focused its efforts on Sumy Oblast. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ukraine orders mandatory evacuation from 11 additional villages in Sumy Oblast amid Russian troop buildup
Authorities have ordered the mandatory evacuation of residents from 11 additional villages in Sumy Oblast due to escalating Russian attacks, Governor Oleh Hryhorov said on May signed the order citing the "constant threat to civilian life" caused by ongoing shelling in the region. The evacuation covers settlements in local communities of Sumy Oblast, which lies near the Russian border. "(Russia) continues its terror of the borderlands, and our shared task is to save every life," Hryhorov said in a statement. "I urge residents not to delay the decision to evacuate. Staying in a zone of constant danger is a direct threat to your life and health." With the latest order, a total of 213 settlements in Sumy Oblast are now under mandatory evacuation. The move comes as Ukrainian officials and military analysts warn of a possible new Russian offensive targeting the region. On May 29, State Border Guard Service spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said Russia had amassed "sufficient forces" in neighboring Kursk Oblast to potentially launch an incursion into Sumy. Speaking on national television, Demchenko noted that Russian troops have remained stationed in Kursk Oblast after being pushed out by Ukrainian forces during a counteroffensive in August 2024. Since then, Kyiv has observed fluctuating numbers of soldiers and equipment along the border. "They have enough forces there (in Kursk Oblast) to carry out operations against our border and attempt to attack the territory of Ukraine," Demchenko said. Russian forces recently captured four border villages, Novenke, Zhuravka, Veselivka, and Basivka, prompting further concern. President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier that Moscow is concentrating 50,000 troops near Sumy Oblast in a bid to create a 10-kilometer buffer zone. Read also: Russia may 'consider' ceasefire if Ukraine stops mobilization, arms deliveries, ambassador says We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Russia amassed enough troops to attack Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, Border Guard warns
Russia has concentrated a sufficient amount of forces in Kursk Oblast to potentially launch an attack on Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, State Border Guard Service spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said on May 29. The statement comes amid warnings of a new possible Russian offensive this summer as U.S.-mediated peace efforts have failed to produce a ceasefire deal. Russia has become increasingly active in Sumy Oblast after mostly pushing out Ukrainian forces from Kursk Oblast. Ukrainian authorities recently confirmed that Russian forces captured four Sumy Oblast villages close to the border: Novenke, Zhuravka, Veselivka, and Basivka. Speaking on national television, Demchenko said Russia began amassing forces when it attempted to push Ukrainian troops out of Kursk Oblast, where Ukraine launched its operation in August 2024. Russia continues to maintain a force in Kursk Oblast, and Ukraine periodically detects a "certain change in the number of both soldiers and equipment in this area," the spokesperson said. Russia "has enough forces there (in Kursk Oblast) to carry out operations against our border and attempt to attack the territory of Ukraine," he continued. The remarks came days after President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is accumulating 50,000 troops near Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast, seeking to create a 10-kilometer buffer zone in the area. According to Kyiv, Russia planned to launch an offensive into Sumy Oblast already back in 2024, but the plan was disrupted by Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast. Moscow has repeatedly indicated plans to create a buffer zone between Ukraine and Russia in the area. Read also: Trump holds off on sanctions to push Ukraine-Russia peace efforts We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Almost 50,000 draft-age men detained trying to illegally cross border since 2022, Border Guard says
Around 49,000 draft-age men have been detained at border areas and checkpoints while trying to illegally cross Ukraine's border since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for Ukraine's State Border Guard Service, said on May 21. Ukraine prohibits men aged 18-60 from leaving the country under martial law, which was instituted at the outbreak of Russia's full-scale war in 2022. Illegal border crossing schemes deepen the manpower shortages facing the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which then struggle to hold back the Russian advance at the front. Nearly 45,000 individuals were detained in terrain-based border areas or at checkpoints along the border, while another 4,000 attempted to cross the border using fake documents and other illegal methods, according to the State Border Guard Service. Speaking on air on national television, Demchenko clarified that the figures refer only to the period of martial law in Ukraine. The State Border Guard Service actively cooperates with border guards from neighboring countries and the EU to jointly counter attempts to illegally cross the border, as the number of such cases has "significantly increased" since the beginning of martial law, the spokesperson added. In January, the National Police uncovered nearly 50 schemes for draft-age Ukrainian men to illegally cross the border, charging 60 suspects. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko admitted last June that dozens of men try to illegally cross the border every day, but Ukrainian authorities have largely avoided providing exact figures. Read also: 'There we go again' — For war-weary Europe, Trump-Putin call yet another signal to 'wake up' We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
