By Rostyslav Averchuk
Lviv (EFE).- Ukraine is fighting to maintain control along its north-eastern border with Russia, repelling Moscow’s advances into the Sumy region and efforts to fully reclaim Kursk, while a bold new operation on Russian soil draws enemy reserves to the Belgorod region.
On Monday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Ukraine’s presence in Belgorod, signaling that Kyiv is now fighting in two Russian regions, over three years after Moscow’s invasion began and its initial attempt to seize Kyiv failed.
Though details are sparse, Zelenskyy said the operation seeks to protect the Sumy and Kharkiv regions. He had warned of an impending Russian offensive in the area.
Operation in Belgorod
Three weeks into the operation, Ukraine’s strategy is beginning to bear fruit. It is aimed at pinning down Russian forces in the area and preventing them from reinforcing other fronts such as Kharkiv or Donetsk, according to Viktor Kevliuk, a reserve colonel and analyst at the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies, writing for LB.ua.
However, the expert argued that Russia is pulling troops from Ukraine to defend Belgorod, reversing the flow of its reserves.
Russian military bloggers said Ukrainian forces are partially controlling the villages of Popovka and Demidovka near the border.
According to Kevliuk, the scope of the operation is much wider, with Ukrainian drones and artillery covering the area, which stretches for several dozen kilometers along the border.
The fluid battlefield, with no fixed frontline, suits Ukraine’s small, mobile assault groups, while Russian troops, unprepared for a major incursion, struggle to coordinate.
The United States-based Institute for the Study of War noted Russia is deploying fiber optic drones to blunt Ukrainian attacks and may have reclaimed some ground in Demidovka. Yet Ukraine’s 225th Assault Regiment has dismissed Russian claims of encirclement, releasing a video showing multiple buggies ferrying troops under the cover of the night.
Another video, posted on Apr. 8, captured the destruction of two bridges in the area, aligning with reports of Ukraine targeting Russian logistics deep behind enemy lines.
Still in Kursk
Although the scale of the operation in Belgorod is likely limited, when compared to the Kursk offensive, Ukrainian forces could conduct similar operations in other parts of the border, Oleksandr Kovalenko, military analyst at the Information Resistance Group, told EFE.
He argued that Ukraine’s presence on Russian soil continues to be a nuisance to Russian leadership and underlined its inability to protect the country’s borders.
According to Ukraine’s DeepState platform, Ukraine now holds about 6% of the Kursk territory it controlled at the offensive’s peak roughly 60 square kilometers (37 square miles).
Over the last few days, Russian troops made limited advances near Guevo village, the analysts claimed.
Kovalenko added that despite being outnumbered, the Ukrainian forces benefit from their proximity to the border after their earlier retreat and are backed up by drone and artillery from their territory.
Russian pressure in Sumy
Meanwhile, Russian troops are pushing deeper into the Sumy region in an attempt to sever a key supply line of Ukrainian forces in Kursk.
Ukraine’s Border Guard has so far denied Russian claims of capturing the village of Basivka, located three kilometers (1.8 miles) away from the border, however, DeepState suggested the situation there may be deteriorating.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian forces reported eight Russian soldiers attempting to gain a foothold in the village of Loknya, four kilometers deeper into the region than Basivka and a mere 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) to the west from the key road to Kusk.
Most Ukrainian military analysts believe Russia is unlikely to seriously threaten the regional capital of Sumy and Kharkiv right now, due to the accumulated losses of equipment and personnel.
However, it might be able to move closer to the cities to subject them to artillery fire and use this to try to pressure Ukrainian leadership into submission. EFE
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