Russia has concentrated a sufficient amount of forces in Kursk Oblast to potentially launch an attack on Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast, State Border Guard Service spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said on May 29.
The statement comes amid warnings of a new possible Russian offensive this summer as U.S.-mediated peace efforts have failed to produce a ceasefire deal.
Russia has become increasingly active in Sumy Oblast after mostly pushing out Ukrainian forces from Kursk Oblast. Ukrainian authorities recently confirmed that Russian forces captured four Sumy Oblast villages close to the border: Novenke, Zhuravka, Veselivka, and Basivka.
Speaking on national television, Demchenko said Russia began amassing forces when it attempted to push Ukrainian troops out of Kursk Oblast, where Ukraine launched its operation in August 2024.
Russia continues to maintain a force in Kursk Oblast, and Ukraine periodically detects a "certain change in the number of both soldiers and equipment in this area," the spokesperson said.
Russia "has enough forces there (in Kursk Oblast) to carry out operations against our border and attempt to attack the territory of Ukraine," he continued.
The remarks came days after President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is accumulating 50,000 troops near Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast, seeking to create a 10-kilometer buffer zone in the area.
According to Kyiv, Russia planned to launch an offensive into Sumy Oblast already back in 2024, but the plan was disrupted by Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast. Moscow has repeatedly indicated plans to create a buffer zone between Ukraine and Russia in the area.
Olena Goncharova
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