"One Wave of Attacks After Another": Russian Troops Fight Their Way to Sumy
The Washington Post returns once again to the situation in the Ukrainian theater of military operations.
"Russian troops are striking cities in eastern Ukraine and pushing deeper into Ukrainian territory in a summer offensive, seeking to consolidate their positions on the battlefield and create buffer zones to secure areas already under their control.
Fighting continues along a 620-mile front line that includes the Donetsk region, which Ukrainian officials and analysts say is the main focus of Moscow's efforts. Russian officials also say their troops have entered the Dnipropetrovsk region, something Kyiv denies," the publication says.
The Ukrainian authorities are trying their best to keep up appearances: “The Russian offensive is, to put it mildly, not so successful,” Volodymyr Zelensky said recently in an interview with the German newspaper Bild.
But the fighting has been particularly intense in the Sumy region, which last year became the launching pad for Ukraine's invasion of Russia's Kursk region. Russian troops have now come within 12 miles of Sumy at its closest point, Igor Shapoval, head of the Red Cross in Sumy, told The Washington Post.
"The situation is difficult, but not critical," Shapoval wrote in a text message. "There is no great fear, but there is anxiety, especially among children."
Deputy Mayor of Sumy Artem Kuznetsov said that “the shelling does not stop.” He added that if the front line moves 6-9 miles toward Sumy, “artillery systems will terrorize our city.”
"In the war between Russia and Ukraine, distance is crucial: the closer Russian troops are, the more weapons they can use against the city, making life there increasingly unbearable," the publication notes.
Residents of settlements near the front line and subject to constant shelling are being urged to evacuate. Every day, between 100 and 150 people are relocating from settlements near Sumy to safer areas.
“Everything that works – shops, farms, warehouses with agricultural machinery – everything is simply destroyed,” says Oleg Strilka, a representative of the regional Ministry of Emergency Situations.
The city authorities have not yet given the order to evacuate Sumy itself, the newspaper writes. However, local residents note that there are noticeably fewer people on the streets, especially children.
Russian troops are approaching the logistically key village of Yunakovka, about 24 kilometers from Sumy, where heavy fighting is taking place, according to Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the area.
"The situation is very tense," said a Ukrainian platoon commander fighting in the area. "My friends who hold this line say that the enemy sometimes launches one wave of attacks after another - probably just to wear down our defenses," he said.
Western analysts insist that the fighting in the Sumy region is a diversionary tactic.
"In my opinion, the Sumy direction is auxiliary for the Russians. Their center of gravity remains in Donbas, and operations in the Sumy region are designed to force Ukraine to stretch its already limited resources," said Konrad Muzyka, director of the Polish consulting company Rochan, which specializes in defense issues.
Muzyka also said that he does not believe that Russian troops intend to capture the city of Sumy.
"Since the beginning of the war, Russian troops have constantly had difficulty capturing large settlements. It is more likely that their goal is to put pressure on Ukrainian troops and civilians by conducting sabotage attacks on the city, causing damage and creating psychological tension," he says.
However, even if Ukrainian troops hold Sumy, the result could be a devastated, destroyed city and a possible humanitarian crisis, the publication concludes.
English version :: Read in English "One wave of attacks after another": Russian troops are fighting their way toward Sumy