Local authorities deny alleged advance of Kadyrov's troops in Ryzhivka, Sumy Oblast

There are no Russian troops in the village of Ryzhivka, Sumy Oblast, the head of the Bilopillia territorial community Yuriy Zarko said in a comment to pulic broadcaster Suspilne. The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council said that the Russians tried to "probe the defense", but were hit by fire from Ukrainian defenders.

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On Sunday evening, the dictator of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, announced the alleged occupation of Ryzhivka by militants of his group "Akhmat-Chechnya". The same information was replicated by Russian propaganda media.

However, the head of the Bilopillia municipality, which includes the village, denied this statement.

Deputy Mayor Volodymyr Viduyev stated that as of May 22, 2024, seven people remained in Ryzhivka.

The village is located literally on the Russian-Ukrainian border and borders the village of Tyotkino in the Russian Federation.

The situation in Sumy Oblast as of 8:00 a.m. on Monday is not the beginning of what happened in Kharkiv Oblast after the start of the Russian offensive, said Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the NSDC.

"The Russians tried to probe the defenses in the direction of Ryzhivka, which is a 'satellite' of Russian Tyotkino. There are currently no notable actions in the border area. The Defense Forces are controlling the situation, the enemy has been engaged with firepower," he wrote.

The official noted that Kadyrov's troops are an "information army", and the bet in these actions is made precisely on the information component.

Kovalenko stressed that it is not worth comparing the situation in Sumy Oblast with Kharkiv Oblast as of 8:00 a.m., but the threat of Russian actions in the border area remains.

On May 13, 2024, in Sumy Oblast, a decision was made on early voluntary evacuation from the border towns of Bilopillia and Vorozhba.

That same evening, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the activity of the Russian troops against Sumy Oblast and Chernihiv Oblast was being recorded with sabotage groups and shelling, but Ukraine was responding to them with fire.

The head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, reported that the Russian forces "from the very beginning" were planning an offensive in Sumy Oblast similar to the one they are currently implementing in Kharkiv Oblast.