Latest news with #OlehHryhorov
Qatar Tribune
3 days ago
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Ukraine evacuates more locations in Sumy region
Kiev: The authorities in the north-eastern Ukrainian region of Sumy ordered the mandatory evacuation of 11 more locations on Saturday due to the constant threat of Russian shelling. The military governor of the region, Oleh Hryhorov, signed the corresponding order, he posted on Facebook. More than 2,800 people are affected by the measure. In total, a mandatory evacuation has now been ordered for 213 settlements in the border region. Russia intends to establish a so-called security zone along the border on Ukrainian territory in the Sumy region, purportedly to protect its own civilian population from Ukrainian attacks. Last August, Ukrainian troops unexpectedly launched an advance from the Sumy region into the adjacent western Russian region of Kursk. After months of fighting, the Ukrainian units largely had to withdraw, and Russian troops advanced into Ukrainian territory. Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than three years. (DPA)
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ukraine evacuates more locations in the Sumy region
The authorities in the north-eastern Ukrainian region of Sumy ordered the mandatory evacuation of 11 more locations on Saturday due to the constant threat of Russian shelling. The military governor of the region, Oleh Hryhorov, signed the corresponding order, he posted on Facebook. More than 2,800 people are affected by the measure. In total, a mandatory evacuation has now been ordered for 213 settlements in the border region. Russia intends to establish a so-called security zone along the border on Ukrainian territory in the Sumy region, purportedly to protect its own civilian population from Ukrainian attacks. Last August, Ukrainian troops unexpectedly launched an advance from the Sumy region into the adjacent western Russian region of Kursk. After months of fighting, the Ukrainian units largely had to withdraw, and Russian troops advanced into Ukrainian territory. Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than three years.
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
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Russian advance in Ukraine's north east may be attempt to create 'buffer zone'
Russian forces are making gains in the Ukrainian north-eastern region of Sumy - a development that may be linked to Moscow's attempts to create "buffer zones" along the border, Ukrainian regional authorities have said. The head of the Sumy region Oleh Hryhorov said Russian forces have seized four villages and that fighting is continuing near other settlements in the area "with the aim of setting up a so-called 'buffer zone'". Russia maintains it has captured six villages in Sumy so far. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a plan to create "security buffer zones" along the border. "Enemy firing points are being actively suppressed, the work is under way," he said. The buffer zones would be created to provide "additional support" to areas in Russia which border Ukraine's Kharkiv, Sumy and Chernihiv regions, Putin said. In a statement on Facebook on Monday, Sumy's Hryhorov wrote: "The enemy is continuing attempts to advance with the aim of setting up a so-called 'buffer zone'," He added that the villages of Novenke, Basivka, Veselivka and Zhuravka - all in Sumy - had been occupied. Kyiv has not yet officially stated that Russian troops are in the Sumy region and, when contacted by the BBC, Hryhorov declined to confirm the information he shared on Monday, saying only the military could comment on front-line activities. The General Staff's daily briefings only mentioned clashes and other military activities in "the Kursk direction" - meaning towards the border with Russia - without naming any specific locations. The Ukrainian army's group of forces that coordinate military activities in the region declined the BBC's request for comment, indicating that information about the Russian advancement in the north is an extremely sensitive issue for Ukrainian authorities. However, in his address on Monday night Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned Russia's "preparation for new offensives" – which was largely interpreted as a reference to the events in the Sumy region. Deep State map, a group that monitors the latest front-line developments in Ukraine, marked four Ukrainian villages as fully controlled by Russian forces even before Hyrhorov's announcement. Deep State's co-founder Roman Pohorily said that Russian troops have been pushing in those areas since March. Ukrainian military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets confirmed this, although he pointed out that Russia's advance has been very slow - about 1km (0.6 miles) in the past two weeks. Mr Mashovets also said Moscow recently relocated new units from the Donbas - to Sumy region. Colonel Vadym Mysnyk, a spokesperson for a formation of the ground forces that is involved in defending the Sumy region, said Russian forces mostly use small groups on motorbikes and buggies during their attacks. The movement of larger armoured vehicles could be quickly spotted by drones and destroyed, Col Mysnyk explained. On the battlefield, speed and mobility are crucial. But the Sumy region has regularly come under attack by Russian air strikes and artillery fire, with the regional administration reporting that since Saturday, Russia has dropped more than 30 guided bombs on the area. One of the biggest attacks took place last month when ballistic missiles hit the city of Sumy killing 34 people. Several weeks later, drones hit an intercity bus killing nine people. Russia targets residential buildings, hospitals and civilian vehicles to spread panic among the population, Col Mysnyk claimed. Russia denies that it targets civilians in strikes, saying they are aimed at military targets. Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia Why did Putin's Russia invade Ukraine? Local authorities say evacuation is taking place in 202 settlements close to the front line, which makes up a third of all territorial communities of the region. Serhiy Grabskiy, a retired colonel and a military expert, agreed that the advances in Sumy are part of Moscow's plan to create a buffer zone. Grabskiy said Russia's main strategic goal is to seize the Donbas region in the east, where the most intensive fighting is taking place. Considering the number of troops they have, Russia "cannot concentrate major forces to go deep in the north", Grabskiy argued. He called the Sumy region a "zone of distraction" - as by maintaining pressure in the north, Russia forces Ukraine to spread its resources and weaken positions in key front-line areas. The US-based Institute for the Study of War think tank also reports that any success in Sumy could be used by Putin as a leverage and justification for new territorial demands as part of future peace negotiations. However, observers agree there is no immediate threat of a major breakthrough in the Sumy region. Based on the speed of their gains in the region so far, it is unlikely that in the near future Russian forces could capture a major city like Sumy, which had a population of 250,000 before the invasion. Mr Pohorily of Deep State said Ukrainian troops have managed to stabilise the front line. "It's been almost three months since [Russia] started their operation in the Sumy region and yet, they are still at the border areas," he said. Col Mysnyk claimed that Ukraine has built defence lines along the entire border since 2022 and at present they're much better prepared to stop the Russian forces than they were at the start of the Russian invasion. But those measures may not last long if the Kremlin's priorities change and Moscow sends greater forces to Sumy. 'We didn't see it as treason': The Russian couple who became informants for Ukraine Hectic two weeks leaves Russia confident - and peace in Ukraine feeling no closer Zelensky says 'US silence' over Russian attacks encourages Putin
The Sun
27-05-2025
- General
- The Sun
Trump slams Putin AGAIN warning Vlad he's ‘playing with fire' as row escalates & Russia seizes towns in Ukraine advance
DONALD Trump has taken another swipe at Putin, warning that he is "playing with fire" as his frustration with the reckless Russian bubbles over. Furious rhetoric from the US president has intensified over the past few days as Russia has blitzed Ukraine and shown signs of preparing for a major onslaught. 9 9 9 9 In a Truth Social post, Trump seethed: "What Vladimir Putin doesn't realize is that if it weren't for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. "He's playing with fire!" Putin has been stalling peace negotiations for weeks and cranking up the heat in Ukraine rather than de-escalating - playing Trump for a fool. Just today it was revealed that Vlad's marauding forces had snatched another four villages in Ukraine's Sumy region. This was the area from which Ukraine launched its surprise invasion to take Russian land in Kursk, which Moscow only recently reclaimed. Sumy governor Oleh Hryhorov wrote in a post: "The enemy is continuing attempts to advance with the aim of setting up a so-called buffer zone". He said the villages of Novenke, Basivka, Veselivka and Zhuravka had been overrun and the resident evacuated. Trump's bash at Putin today was the latest in a series that charts his growing irritation. Russia launched a cloud of 367 drones and missiles at cities across Ukraine over the weekend - the largest of the war so far - prompting Trump to brand him "crazy". He said: 'I don't know what's wrong with him. What the hell happened to him? Right? He's killing a lot of people. I'm not happy about that." Russia unleashes 'war's biggest drone attack' as Putin defies Trump's calls to 'stop bloodbath' & vows to keep fighting And later posted online: "I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. "He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I'm not just talking about soldiers. "Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever." He added: "I've always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that's proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!" 9 9 9 The Kremlin sought to lower the temperature - although hinted that Trump was merely being "emotional". Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organising and launching this negotiation process. "Of course, at the same time, this is a very crucial moment, which is associated, of course, with the emotional overload of everyone absolutely and with emotional reactions." At least 13 Ukrainians were killed in the weekend strikes, including three children. Trump's comments also come amid reports that Russia is amassing a 50,000-strong force on the border with Ukraine, in preparation for a renewed onslaught. 9 9 Putin is reportedly preparing for a major push to take more land in the north east. Military analysts believe he is trying to press home his advantage and capture more Ukrainian land. They warn that Putin only has a "four-month window" to get a breakthrough in Ukraine this year. And this could be the beginning of Russia's summer offensive targeting the border city of Kharkiv - the "fortress" city of Ukraine which put up the maximum resistance at the start of the invasion. Reacting to the reports, German Chancellor Freidrich Merz predicted that peace was still a long way off. He said: "Wars typically end because of economic or military exhaustion on one side or on both sides and in this war we are obviously still far from reaching that [situation]. "So we may have to prepare for a longer duration."
