Roman Kostenko, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament and secretary of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense, and intelligence, stated that the current offensive of Russian troops in the Sumy region is a backlash from the Kursk operation conducted by the Ukrainian army.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Reasons for Retreat and Risks of the Offensive
According to Kostenko, events on the front did not unfold according to the initial plan, and the retreat of Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region was not planned. He emphasized that the decision to withdraw was determined by the situation on the battlefield, rather than strategic intentions of the command.
“What happened was not planned. No one anticipated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would retreat from the Kursk region, and the enemy would advance. The battlefield determined this. If it had been possible to hold the battlefield towards Kursk, we would have held it, but unfortunately, we could not,” the deputy stressed.
Kostenko added that the advance of the Russian army in the Sumy region was one of the risks that needed to be considered when planning the operation. According to him, the Ukrainian command expected to maintain the defense; however, certain mistakes led to the loss of positions and, consequently, to the offensive of Russian troops in the region.
Change of Russia’s Plans and the Situation in the Region
The deputy reported that according to intelligence data, Russia initially planned to redeploy its units from the Kursk region to the Pokrovsky direction. However, later, adding marine infantry, the Russian command unexpectedly decided to launch an offensive in the Sumy region. This decision may have been influenced by both military and political factors, prompting Russia to carry out “mirror” actions in the new combat zone.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky informed at the end of May that Russia had concentrated about 50,000 of its troops near the Sumy region. According to Oleg Grigorov, head of the Sumy regional military administration, as of May 26, Russian troops had already controlled four populated areas along the border: Novenke, Basivka of the Yunakivka community, as well as Veselivka and Zhuravka of the Khotyn community. Since then, the Russian army has continued to expand its zone of control in the region.
On May 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the creation of a so-called “buffer zone” along the border with Ukraine, which may indicate Russia’s intentions to consolidate its positions in border areas.