Are Russians Using Artillery Against Sumy? An In-Depth Look at the Frontline Situation
In the evolving landscape of the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, new threats and challenges continue to emerge for Ukrainian defenders. The Counter-Disinformation Center under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine released official information regarding the use of Russian military forces in the Sumy region. According to the center's head, Andriy Kovalenko, as of today, Russian troops have not launched direct artillery strikes on the city of Sumy. However, they may be employing certain types of rocket launch systems located in the Kursk region, which allow them to deliver missile barrages over considerable distances and target strategic locations critical to regional defense. During his recent statement on Telegram, Kovalenko emphasized that current reports do not indicate that the Russian army has brought its artillery directly to the border villages and towns of the Sumy oblast, where assault infantry groups have entered and active fighting continues. Such actions, if taken, could complicate the Ukrainian military's defensive efforts and facilitate enemy advances. Recently, Ukrainian sources reported that Russian forces shelled Pishchane, a settlement less than a kilometer from the city of Sumy, with artillery. Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, announced that Ukrainian defenders successfully halted the enemy’s advances in border villages, containing approximately 50,000 Russian soldiers, and managed to push closer to the positions in Junakivka, advancing from 200 to 700 meters, and liberated the strategically important village of Andriivka from occupation. These developments reaffirm the resilience and effectiveness of Ukrainian forces in resisting enemy advances.