Border agency warns of possible new Russian offensive in Sumy Oblast, calls for beefed up defenses

The attack of the Russian occupation forces on Sumy Oblast cannot be ruled out, Andriy Demchenko, the spokesman of the State Border Service, said on Radio Liberty's morning show.

The Ukrainian forces at the border must constantly maintain a powerful defense, since the enemy has the upper hand in terms of means and personnel.

"It can never be ruled out, including on the Sumy axis. The enemy can at any moment, even if he does not have sufficient forces, try to do something similar, as is currently happening on the Kharkiv axis," said Demchenko.

According to him, the main goal of the Russian army in such military campaigns is to stretch the front line, the line of active combat operations, as well as Ukrainian forces and means.

Each component of the Defense Forces has its own area of responsibility on the Sumy axis, and they all act in a coordinated manner. At the same time, the border agency spokesman stressed thay the defense there should continue to be strengthened.

"We must also appreciate that the length of the border with our enemy is quite large. It is more than 560 kilometers in Sumy Oblast alone. And, in fact, even by involving the forces we have, which we can involve there, we must keep our defense strong, because the enemy prevails both in terms of equipment, means of defeat, and in terms of personnel, unfortunately," he concluded.

On May 13, 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russia's activity against Sumy Oblast and Chernihiv Oblast is being recorded – sabotage groups and shelling, but Ukraine is responding to them with fire.

On May 14, Ukraine's spy chief Kyrylo Budanov said that now small groups of Russian soldiers are concentrated near the Russian town of Sudzha on the border with Sumy Oblast.