War Map Shows Ukraine Hold Off Russians as Putin Launches New Offensive

Russian forces have started a fresh offensive on two regions of northeastern Ukraine, Kyiv’s top soldier has said.

Why It Matters

Ukraine used its northeastern Sumy region as a staging ground for a surprise incursion across the border into Russia’s western Kursk region last August. Moscow struggled for several months to dislodge Kyiv from the area, although a fresh push in recent weeks has peeled back Ukraine’s grip toward the border.

What To Know

Russian troops have also moved back toward Ukrainian settlements in Sumy, all the while upping intensive aerial bombardment of border villages. Thousands of residents in the area have been evacuated, many fleeing to the regional capital.

Kharkiv, across the border from Belgorod in Russia, has come under heavy attack and although Kremlin forces attacked around the city of Kupiansk on Wednesday, it “did not make confirmed advances,” the U.S.-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its latest analysis.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this week confirmed a Ukrainian presence in Belgorod, saying it hoped to use troops to shield Sumy and Kharkiv “as much as possible.”

General Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, told Ukrainian outlet LB.UA in an interview published on Wednesday that Kyiv had been observing Russian forces “almost doubling” its attacks for almost a week.

Zelensky told French newspaper Le Figaro in late March that Russian President Vladimir Putin was playing for time to launch a spring offensive focused on Sumy and Kharkiv. In a separate public statement, he added the southern Zaporizhzhia region to the list of locations for likely new Russian offensives.

Ukraine’s state broadcaster, Suspilne, cited the deputy head of Zelensky’s office on Thursday as saying Russia was preparing to increase its attacks along several parts of the front line.

“The president is absolutely right and this offensive has actually already begun,” Syrsky said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed over the weekend its troops had captured the Sumy village of Basovka. Andrii Demchenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, told the Ukrainska Pravda outlet that Russia was engaged in a “disinformation campaign regarding the capture of settlements in Sumy Oblast or breakthroughs of the border.”

Volodymyr Artiukh, the governor of Sumy, told The Washington Post in an interview published on Friday that Russia had not yet established control over any territory in the region, although troops had crossed over as part of assault groups.

What People Are Saying

General Oleksandr Syrsky told Ukrainian media: “For several days, almost a week, we have been observing an almost doubling of the number of enemy offensive actions in all main directions.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Ukraine’s “main objective remains the same: to protect our land and our communities in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions as much as possible from the Russian occupiers.”

What Happens Next

It remains to be seen how much momentum Russian cross-border attacks will gain as U.S. President Donald Trump attempts to push Moscow toward agreeing to a full ceasefire deal.