Ukrainian troops brace for Russian assault on Sumy, top general says

Ukraine's top general says his troops are preparing for a potential Russian assault on the northern city of Sumy, as worries grow that the war here is being forgotten after the United States waded into the Israel-Iran conflict.
General Oleksander Syrskyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, said Ukraine had created what he called 'a special group' to defend Sumy, which had a prewar population of 255,000. Russian troops, he added, were on the verge of entering the central Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time in more than three years of war.
'There really was a difficult situation there a week ago,' Gen. Syrskyi said of a Russian thrust that he said reached the administrative border between the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions before it was repelled by Ukrainian troops. More than 70 per cent of the southeastern Donetsk region – which Russian President Vladimir Putin claims to have annexed – is under Russian occupation.
In a briefing with reporters in Kyiv, Gen. Syrskyi gave a grim assessment of a war that is now being fought along a front line that stretches for 1,200 kilometres. In addition to ground fighting in six different regions of Ukraine, Russia regularly launches missile-and-drone attacks on cities around the country.
'They are preparing for a protracted war, a war of attrition. This is their main strategy. They want to pressure us with their human resources, exhaust us with their mass,' Gen. Syrskyi said.
Zelensky still to make decision on attending NATO summit, seeks meeting with Trump
Putin says all of Ukraine is 'ours' as he eyes capture of Sumy
The Russian thrust toward Sumy became more menacing after Mr. Putin said his troops had entered the Sumy region to create a 'buffer zone' to protect the neighbouring Kursk region from attack. 'Next is the city of Sumy, the regional centre. We don't have the task of taking it, but in principle I don't rule it out,' Mr. Putin said Friday in a speech to the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
In the same speech, Mr. Putin said he considered all of Ukraine to be Russian territory. 'I consider Russians and Ukrainians to be one people. In that sense, all of Ukraine is ours.'
Gen. Syrskyi said he had no choice but to take the threat to Sumy seriously. He said he had assigned a special unit to begin building new fortifications in and around the city, with a special emphasis on anti-drone nets to protect the soldiers guarding those trenches from danger posed by unmanned aerial vehicles.
'The main direction, of course, is Sumy … we know that the Russian commanders have received the appropriate task,' Gen. Syrskyi said, referring to Mr. Putin's speech. Gen. Syrski said Russia had deployed some of its best units, including airborne units and marines, on the Sumy front.
The threat to Sumy emerged after Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk region last summer. That opened a new front in the war, forcing Russia to pull some 63,000 troops from the front line in the Donetsk region and redeploy them to Kursk to repel the attack. Ukraine now clings to about 90 square kilometres of territory inside the Kursk region.
While some of the redeployed units are now being used in the Russian push toward Sumy, Gen. Syrskyi said the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk was nonetheless a success because it had kept the Russians from achieving their goal of capturing the strategic Donetsk region city of Pokrovsk.
Speaking of the overall situation, Gen. Syrskyi said there were currently 695,000 Russian troops stationed inside Ukraine, with another 121,000 troops in reserve. The size of the Russian army was growing by 8,000 or 9,000 soldiers a month, he said, because of financial incentives the Kremlin is offering to new recruits. Russian media have reported that – in addition to regular payments – those who join the army will have up to US$100,000 in debts written off by the state.
Gen. Syrskyi wouldn't give any numbers regarding Ukraine's efforts to recruit new soldiers, but said Ukraine would be forced to increase its recruitment push. Conscription, he said, was 'an unpopular measure – but in conditions of war, no country has avoided mobilization.'
Gen. Syrskyi gave his briefing hours before U.S. President Donald Trump ordered his country's air force to attack Iran's nuclear program. The fear in Kyiv now is that Mr. Trump, who briefly tried to push Russia and Ukraine towards a peace deal, will focus his attention on the Middle East, leaving Ukraine without the support of what had been its biggest ally, in terms of providing military assistance.
Ukraine received US$64.6-billion in military assistance from the U.S. under former president Joe Biden, after the start of the Russian invasion in February, 2022. No new weapons shipments have been authorized since Mr. Trump took office in January.
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a group of reporters that 'for President Trump, the Israel-Iran issue is certainly a higher priority today.'
Mr. Zelensky was referring to Mr. Trump's abrupt departure from last week's G7 meeting in Kananaskis, Alta., less than 24 hours into the two-day summit. Mr. Trump's return to Washington and focus on the Iran file meant that he left without meeting Mr. Zelensky, who had planned to ask Mr. Trump to authorize new weapons sales to Ukraine and to adopt new sanctions against Russia.
Mr. Zelensky has been invited to this week's NATO summit in The Hague but said his decision on whether or not to attend would depend on several factors, including whether he would get a meeting with Mr. Trump, something he called 'very important.' It's unclear whether Mr. Trump still plans to travel to The Hague while the U.S. is involved in the war against Iran.

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Globe and Mail

5 hours ago

• Globe and Mail

Ukrainian troops brace for Russian assault on Sumy, top general says

Ukraine's top general says his troops are preparing for a potential Russian assault on the northern city of Sumy, as worries grow that the war here is being forgotten after the United States waded into the Israel-Iran conflict. General Oleksander Syrskyi, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, said Ukraine had created what he called 'a special group' to defend Sumy, which had a prewar population of 255,000. Russian troops, he added, were on the verge of entering the central Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time in more than three years of war. 'There really was a difficult situation there a week ago,' Gen. Syrskyi said of a Russian thrust that he said reached the administrative border between the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions before it was repelled by Ukrainian troops. More than 70 per cent of the southeastern Donetsk region – which Russian President Vladimir Putin claims to have annexed – is under Russian occupation. In a briefing with reporters in Kyiv, Gen. Syrskyi gave a grim assessment of a war that is now being fought along a front line that stretches for 1,200 kilometres. In addition to ground fighting in six different regions of Ukraine, Russia regularly launches missile-and-drone attacks on cities around the country. 'They are preparing for a protracted war, a war of attrition. This is their main strategy. They want to pressure us with their human resources, exhaust us with their mass,' Gen. Syrskyi said. Zelensky still to make decision on attending NATO summit, seeks meeting with Trump Putin says all of Ukraine is 'ours' as he eyes capture of Sumy The Russian thrust toward Sumy became more menacing after Mr. Putin said his troops had entered the Sumy region to create a 'buffer zone' to protect the neighbouring Kursk region from attack. 'Next is the city of Sumy, the regional centre. We don't have the task of taking it, but in principle I don't rule it out,' Mr. Putin said Friday in a speech to the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. In the same speech, Mr. Putin said he considered all of Ukraine to be Russian territory. 'I consider Russians and Ukrainians to be one people. In that sense, all of Ukraine is ours.' Gen. Syrskyi said he had no choice but to take the threat to Sumy seriously. He said he had assigned a special unit to begin building new fortifications in and around the city, with a special emphasis on anti-drone nets to protect the soldiers guarding those trenches from danger posed by unmanned aerial vehicles. 'The main direction, of course, is Sumy … we know that the Russian commanders have received the appropriate task,' Gen. Syrskyi said, referring to Mr. Putin's speech. Gen. Syrski said Russia had deployed some of its best units, including airborne units and marines, on the Sumy front. The threat to Sumy emerged after Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk region last summer. That opened a new front in the war, forcing Russia to pull some 63,000 troops from the front line in the Donetsk region and redeploy them to Kursk to repel the attack. Ukraine now clings to about 90 square kilometres of territory inside the Kursk region. While some of the redeployed units are now being used in the Russian push toward Sumy, Gen. Syrskyi said the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk was nonetheless a success because it had kept the Russians from achieving their goal of capturing the strategic Donetsk region city of Pokrovsk. Speaking of the overall situation, Gen. Syrskyi said there were currently 695,000 Russian troops stationed inside Ukraine, with another 121,000 troops in reserve. The size of the Russian army was growing by 8,000 or 9,000 soldiers a month, he said, because of financial incentives the Kremlin is offering to new recruits. Russian media have reported that – in addition to regular payments – those who join the army will have up to US$100,000 in debts written off by the state. Gen. Syrskyi wouldn't give any numbers regarding Ukraine's efforts to recruit new soldiers, but said Ukraine would be forced to increase its recruitment push. Conscription, he said, was 'an unpopular measure – but in conditions of war, no country has avoided mobilization.' Gen. Syrskyi gave his briefing hours before U.S. President Donald Trump ordered his country's air force to attack Iran's nuclear program. The fear in Kyiv now is that Mr. Trump, who briefly tried to push Russia and Ukraine towards a peace deal, will focus his attention on the Middle East, leaving Ukraine without the support of what had been its biggest ally, in terms of providing military assistance. Ukraine received US$64.6-billion in military assistance from the U.S. under former president Joe Biden, after the start of the Russian invasion in February, 2022. No new weapons shipments have been authorized since Mr. Trump took office in January. On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a group of reporters that 'for President Trump, the Israel-Iran issue is certainly a higher priority today.' Mr. Zelensky was referring to Mr. Trump's abrupt departure from last week's G7 meeting in Kananaskis, Alta., less than 24 hours into the two-day summit. Mr. Trump's return to Washington and focus on the Iran file meant that he left without meeting Mr. Zelensky, who had planned to ask Mr. Trump to authorize new weapons sales to Ukraine and to adopt new sanctions against Russia. Mr. Zelensky has been invited to this week's NATO summit in The Hague but said his decision on whether or not to attend would depend on several factors, including whether he would get a meeting with Mr. Trump, something he called 'very important.' It's unclear whether Mr. Trump still plans to travel to The Hague while the U.S. is involved in the war against Iran.

National Post

7 hours ago

• National Post

Russia's deployment of nearly 700,000 troops signals long-term war plan, Ukraine warns

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CTV News

a day ago

• CTV News

Ukraine received at least 20 bodies of Russian soldiers in recent exchanges, Zelenskyy says

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