Ukrainian governor says Russian forces capture four villages in Sumy

27/5/2025 12:06

The governor of Ukraine's Sumy region on the Russian border said on Monday that Russian forces had captured four villages as part of an attempt to create a "buffer zone" on Ukrainian territory.



Russia's military and Russian military bloggers have in recent days reported captured villages in Sumy, which has come under frequent Russian air strikes for months.



Sumy Region Governor Oleh Hryhorov, writing on Facebook, listed four villages inside the border that he said were now held by Russian forces -- Novenke, Basivka, Veselivka and Zhuravka. He said their residents had long been evacuated.



He wrote, "The enemy is continuing attempts to advance with the aim of setting up a so-called 'buffer zone."



Ukrainian forces, he said, "are keeping the situation under control, inflicting precise fire damage on the enemy".



Hryhorov said fighting was continuing around other villages in the area, including Volodymyrivka and Bilovodiv -- two settlements that Russia's Defence Ministry had earlier on Monday said were now held by Moscow's forces.