Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy declared that Ukrainian forces have successfully stalled Russia’s attempted incursion into the northeastern Sumy region, as intense battles continue to unfold near the border with Russia.
In a statement issued by the presidential office on Saturday, Zelenskiy confirmed that Russian troops, estimated at around 53,000, have been gathered near the Sumy axis. However, Ukrainian defenders have held their ground, preventing the invaders from penetrating deeper into the region.
"We have stabilized the situation. The enemy has been blocked. The frontlines are currently at a maximum depth of 7 kilometers from the border," Zelenskiy noted, emphasizing the strategic restraint exerted by Ukraine's military.
Though battlefield developments could not be independently verified, the situation marks a significant moment as Moscow intensifies military operations in the northeast, shifting its focus from the heavily contested eastern Donetsk region. Russia recently announced its intention to establish a so-called "buffer zone" in both the Sumy and Kharkiv regions — a move seen by Kyiv as an attempt to solidify territorial gains and deter Ukrainian counteroffensives.
Now entering its fourth year, the Russia-Ukraine war has seen escalated combat across multiple sectors in recent weeks. Ukraine has responded with bold offensives, including a drone strike that targeted and destroyed several aircraft within Russian territory and damaged the Kerch Strait bridge, a critical link between mainland Russia and occupied Crimea.
In retaliation, Russia has stepped up aerial bombardments, prompting widespread alerts across Ukraine. Despite the pressure, Zelenskiy said Ukrainian troops were holding defensive lines spanning more than 1,000 kilometers of active frontline.
He also refuted Russian claims that its troops had made inroads into Dnipropetrovsk, a central Ukrainian region that borders three partially occupied areas: Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. Zelenskiy described the reports as part of a disinformation campaign, saying that small Russian assault units were only attempting symbolic penetrations to record visuals for propaganda purposes — efforts that Ukraine quickly neutralized.
Acknowledging the complexity of reclaiming all occupied territories through military means alone, Zelenskiy once again called for stricter international sanctions on Moscow to push for meaningful negotiations. Talks held previously in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations yielded little progress, with prisoner swaps being the only tangible outcome.
However, there has been significant momentum on that front. Zelenskiy confirmed that another batch of Ukrainian prisoners of war had been released as part of an ongoing series of exchanges.
"We continue to bring our people home. This marks the fourth exchange within a single week," Zelenskiy said in a message on Telegram, expressing gratitude to those coordinating the humanitarian effort.
Most of the freed soldiers had been in captivity since 2022, with many taken during the siege of Mariupol, one of the war's most brutal battles. In a somber parallel development, Ukrainian officials also confirmed that the remains of 1,200 fallen soldiers were returned by Russia in a coordinated handover on Friday.
Zelenskiy revealed that these exchanges are set to continue until around June 20 or 21, pending further negotiations.
As both military and diplomatic efforts unfold in tandem, Ukraine remains locked in a protracted and evolving conflict. President Zelenskiy’s latest remarks reflect a dual strategy — fierce military resistance on the ground, coupled with renewed appeals for global pressure and dialogue to force an end to the war.
With Russia still controlling nearly 20% of Ukrainian territory, including key urban and industrial zones, the path to peace remains fraught — but Kyiv is determined not to concede either sovereignty or morale.