Ukrainian Forces Halted Russian Advance in Sumy, President Zelenskyy Says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that Ukrainian forces have halted Russian troops attempting to push into the northeastern Sumy region, confining the fighting to a narrow band along the border, Reuters reported.

Ukrainian Forces Repel Russian Push in Sumy

In comments published Saturday by his office, Zelenskyy stated, “We are levelling the position. The fighting there is along the border. You should understand that the enemy has been stopped there. And the maximum depth at which the fighting takes place is 7 km from the border.”

He further said Russia has gathered about 53,000 troops in the direction of Sumy. 

Russia Shifts Focus to the Northeast

While Russian forces have concentrated much of their military operations in the eastern Donetsk region, their offensives have recently escalated in the north, particularly in Sumy and Kharkiv, where they have declared intentions to establish a “buffer zone.”

Ukraine has responded with several high-impact operations, including a drone strike that destroyed multiple Russian aircraft and an underwater explosive attack on the Kerch Strait bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean peninsula.

Zelenskyy Says Russia Trying to Stage Symbolic Gains

President Zelenskyy also denied Russian claims that their troops had penetrated the Dnipropetrovsk region, which borders several Russian-occupied territories, including Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

“Russia is sending small assault groups to get one foot on the administrative border and make a picture or a video,” Zelenskiy reportedly said, describing such manoeuvres as attempts at propaganda, per Reuters. “But these attacks were repelled.”

He reaffirmed that Ukrainian forces were defending more than 1,000 kilometres of frontline territory.

Kyiv Emphasises Need for Sanctions and Peace Talks

“We understand that we cannot regain all our land solely by military means,” Zelenskyy reportedly said, repeating his call for stronger international sanctions to pressure Moscow into meaningful peace negotiations.

Earlier peace talks in Istanbul between Kyiv and Moscow produced only modest outcomes, including agreements on prisoner-of-war (POW) exchanges.

Ukraine Receives Bodies of ‘1200 Fallen Soldiers’

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials confirmed Saturday that the bodies of 1,200 Ukrainian soldiers were returned on Friday under the terms of recent POW agreements, with Zelenskyy indicating that such exchanges will likely continue until June 20 or 21, as reported by Reuters.

“The agreement is that the exchanges will be completed, and the sides will discuss the next step,” he reportedly said.

ALSO READ: Explained: Why Are Key Tehran Allies Staying Out of the Israel-Iran Conflict?