Russia scales back attacks in Sumy region, Ukrainian border guards report

Ukraine's State Border Guard Service spokesman Andriy Demchenko shared the information on Espreso TV.

"If we talk about the north, we need to distinguish Belarus from Russia, because the situation is different there. First of all, if we focus on the border with Russia, I note that shelling does not stop. Yesterday it was also quite intense from Russia along the border of Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions. The enemy uses artillery, drones, and aviation to strike Ukrainian positions and defenders. In fact, aviation is used actively to hit settlements, and the enemy also directs other weapons at civilian areas in these three border regions, once again proving its status as a terrorist country," he said.

Demchenko noted that in the defense zones of Ukrainian border guards in Sumy region, Russian attempts to advance with small infantry groups have sharply decreased.

"Within Sumy region, I remind you that the border with Russia is about 550 kilometers long, and only on a small section does the enemy show activity with small infantry groups, in the Khotyn and Yunakivka communities. But, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces noted, the enemy was stopped. The enemy cannot achieve any goals, and now Ukrainian Armed Forces units are counterattacking and pushing them back beyond the border. Based on the positions of the State Border Guard Service units in this direction, I can also say that enemy attempts to advance with small infantry groups have sharply decreased. Although artillery, aviation, and drone strikes do not stop, the number of storming attempts is much smaller," he added.

• On August 18, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said the Russian army was transferring its units from Sumy to Zaporizhzhia, planning active combat actions there.