The Ukrainian army announced on Sunday that it is engaged in battles to repel a Russian attempt to penetrate the Sumy region, following reports that Russian forces forcibly moved 50 people from a border village there.
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This represents a new Russian advance in part of the region that had largely remained away from heavy ground fighting since Ukraine regained territory there during a rapid counteroffensive in 2022.
The Ukrainian Joint Forces Command stated that “fighting is currently taking place in the village of Hrabovskyi,” confirming that forces are “making efforts to push the occupiers back into Russian territory.”
It also denied media reports claiming that Russian forces had reached the nearby village of Rysan.
Earlier on Sunday, the Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner said that Russian forces had forcibly transferred approximately 50 people from Hrabovskyi to Russia.
Dmytro Loubintz explained that Russian soldiers “illegally detained around 50 civilians from Hrabovskyi village in Sumy region” on Thursday. He added that they were held in isolation under poor conditions before being “forcibly moved to Russian territory” on Saturday.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) could not independently verify this information, and no official Russian comment was issued.
The Russian army had announced on Saturday that it had taken control of the village of Vysokyi, located a few miles from Hrabovskyi.
The Sumy regional military administration said on Saturday that it evacuated residents of border communities who refused to leave, using armored vehicles.
This attempted incursion comes as Russia continues to make slow but steady gains in eastern Ukraine, amid renewed talks aimed at ending the four-year-long war.
AFP
