NATO considers encirclement of Sumy unlikely due to high Russian casualties
Intelligence data from the North Atlantic Alliance indicate that Russian troops are suffering significant losses during their advance in northern Ukraine, particularly in the Sumy region, but a complete encirclement of this city is unlikely and even unattainable for Moscow's forces at the moment. This was announced by a senior NATO official during the summit, summarizing secret intelligence data from allies and supporting his position with confirmed estimates of Russian losses by the Ukrainian military. According to the source, based on operational information, the level of Russian losses has already exceeded one million people, of which about 250 thousand are killed in battles. Daily losses average more than 1,300 people, which is a very high figure, given the severity of the tactics used by Moscow - large-scale assaults with a large number of deaths, including in the Sumy region. According to experts, such assaults have a devastating effect on Russian forces, exhausting them during the advance. At the same time, NATO notes that the Kremlin seeks to create a buffer zone after the Kursk operation, but, despite tactical advances and individual successes, Western intelligence does not record the strategic encirclement of Sumy. The senior official emphasized: "At present, the encirclement of Sumy in the near future seems unlikely and not a realistic enough scenario." In addition to advancing in the Sumy region, Russia is trying to gain a foothold in other sectors of eastern Ukraine, but the front line has hardly undergone significant changes over the past two months. Moreover, NATO notes that Ukrainian troops are successfully pushing back Russian forces in the Kursk region, in particular in the Tyotkino area. This holds back the Russian offensive and shows that both sides have tactical gains: the Russians are advancing in some directions, while the Ukrainian army is holding its ground and even counterattacking in other areas. Such a balance, according to the allies, reduces the likelihood of a large-scale operation by Russia around Sumy. It is important to note that this position of NATO has remained unchanged for several months. At the beginning of the summer, “European Truth” already reported that international intelligence did not record signs of preparations for a large-scale Russian offensive on Sumy or the Dnipropetrovsk region, despite the increase in Russian attacks in northeastern Ukraine. In response to the latest missile strikes on the Sumy region, the West once again emphasized that Moscow is actively increasing tensions, which led to international outrage and calls for restraint. Thus, the situation in the region remains tense and dynamic, but a direct encirclement of Sumy is currently unlikely, and Russian losses and exhaustion cast doubt on the Kremlin's ability to gain a foothold in this territory anytime soon.