According to the analyst's data, the occupiers are currently trying to stretch the front line.
After the statement of Chief of the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, regarding the likelihood of the Russian army's advance on Sumy, former spokesman of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, military expert Vladyslav Seleznyov, provided an assessment of the situation.
In a comment to TSN.ua, the expert noted that the Sumy direction is one of the shortest routes between Russia and Kyiv.
"It's already very loud in Sumy region, on the border. The situation there is quite dynamic. The occupiers use guided aerial bombs, mines, artillery shells, and the Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups are operating there. These groups aren't just coming in to take a look. They're scouting out our weak points in defensive lines. It's important for them, to create a corresponding battlefield map to attack, where the situation is the most difficult and our defense is the weakest," Vladyslav Seleznyov says.
According to his data, the enemy currently has 10,500 personnel on the territory of Kursk region.
"But now at least 14 echelons are being redeployed, with 3–3.5 thousand personnel and up to half a thousand units of weapons and military equipment. This, 14 thousand personnel, is not enough to attack, let alone capture Sumy. But they can create certain problems for us at the border", the expert says.
Seleznyov points out: "Please note, that in Sumy region, battles are taking place 3–5 km from the border. The enemy physically lacks the resources to advance further".
When asked why the Sumy direction is important for the enemy, the expert answers as follows: "This is one of the shortest routes in the direction of Kyiv. But in order to overcome this path, the invaders need to break our resistance. This requires resources that the enemy doesn't have. And in the foreseeable future, we do not see them there. 14 thousand is not 140 thousand. Therefore, I think that to some extent this is an effort to stretch our strategic reserves. Now we have an extremely difficult situation on the eastern flank of the Russian-Ukrainian front. Kramatorsk and Pokrovsky directions are hellish. Instead of reinforcing this section of the front, our units are forced to go to the north of Kharkiv region".
According to Seleznyov, the enemy army is most likely driven by the belief that the more they stretch the front, the easier it will be for them to attack in the main direction.
"For the summer campaign, the enemy's key mission is the complete occupation of Donetsk region. In order to force us to stretch our reserves, they will be active not only in the north of Kharkiv region and in the future - in Sumy region, but also in the south of Zaporizhzhia region. The scale is somewhat smaller, but we still need to direct certain reserves there to stabilize the situation along the entire front", the former spokesman of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine summarizes.
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