The Sumy Oblast regional flag. (fcknimages/Getty Images)
Russian forces attacked 10 communities along the Sumy Oblast border on Jan. 10, causing 100 explosions, the local military administration reported.
The attacks targeted the communities of Bilopillia, Esman, Svesa, Krasnopillia, Seredyna-Buda, Yunakivka, Znob-Novhorodske, Shalyhyne, Nova Sloboda, and Khotin.
No casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure were reported.
Russian forces fired at the Sumy border 29 times, attacking with various weapons including artillery, mortars, mines, and a drone.
The residents of Sumy Oblast's rural border areas are subject to constant shelling by nearby Russian forces. An attack on Jan. 9 damaged several homes and a local cultural center.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Poland sees no reason to sever diplomatic ties with Russia, noting that it has already limited the activities of Russian diplomats in several regions.
"Every time you are here, General, we can sleep a little more. We would like you to travel to all Ukrainian cities," Zelensky said at the annual Yalta European Strategy meeting.
"(Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s bombardment of Ukrainian civilians, his stalling and delaying in internationally-backed peace talks, and his blatant disregard for human life must end," U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said.
The Kyiv Independent has been awarded the Online Journalism Award for Innovation in Revenue Strategy for building a sustainable business model during wartime.
"I'm not gonna defend anybody but they were actually knocked down and they fell. But you should not be close to Poland anyway," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
Ukraine is striking oil refineries deep inside Russia — but it’s not really the oil they’re after. The Kyiv Independent’s Dominic Culverwell explains how Ukraine’s drone campaign targets the high-tech equipment Russia cannot easily replace under sanctions.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski’s visit came days after the largest Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace during a mass strike on Ukraine, in what Polish officials describe as a "deliberately targeted" strike and provocation.
When asked about the Ukraine-Russia talks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov replied that communication channels have been established and exist, but as of now, "it’s more accurate to say there is a pause" in dialogue.
According to Russia's Central Bank, current price growth indicators have "remained largely unchanged," while the economy continues to return to a path of "balanced growth."
Primorsk in Leningrad Oblast serves as a key hub for Russia's "shadow fleet" of aging tankers used to avoid sanctions, the source said. Roughly 60 million tons of oil pass through the port every year, bringing Russia roughly $15 billion, the source added.
The Polish Defense Ministry clarified on Sept. 12 that Ukrainian and Polish specialists will practice the use of drones and anti-drone systems only on Polish territory.
Alexander Khrebet
