The territorial defense of Sumy Oblast "destroyed" a Russian subversive-reconnaissance group that had crossed the state border on the morning of Dec. 22, according to Dmytro Zhyvytsky, the oblast governor.
Two Russian soldiers were killed in the fight, Zhyvytsky said, adding that the Ukrainian side didn’t suffer any casualties.
Sumy Oblast is a northeastern Ukrainian region that borders Russia. It was invaded in the early hours of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Since the withdrawal of Russian troops from the oblast in April, there have been no battles on the ground.
However, Russia has constantly been shelling bordering settlements in the oblast.
Earlier in the day, Zhyvytsky reported that Russian forces had attacked the Seredyna-Buda community at night using self-propelled artillery.
On Dec. 22, three communities in Sumy Oblast near the Russia-Ukraine border were hit 54 times with mortars and artillery, according to Zhyvytsky.