Zelenskyy: Russia amasses over 50,000 troops in Sumy region

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this during a meeting with journalists, Suspilne reports.

According to him, the Russians had planned to amass troops specifically in the Sumy direction, preparing from the Kursk axis, but were unable to do so due to the actions of Ukraine’s Defense Forces.

“For example, on the Pokrovsk front, in Kostiantynivka, we had problems, but also successful battles. In the past two days, we pushed them back 4 kilometers in Kostiantynivka. So they can’t fully pull their troops from the Pokrovsk direction… Likewise, they are now amassing over 50,000 troops in the Sumy direction. We understand this. But we’re also seeing successes there,” the President noted.

Zelenskyy added that the largest and most powerful Russian forces are currently positioned in the Kursk direction.

“They're there to push our troops out of the Kursk region and to prepare offensive actions in Sumy. To build what they call a buffer zone, 10 kilometers deep into Ukraine. I believe they understand they lack the capability to do this. That’s the current situation,” Zelenskyy emphasized.

Speaking about other potential directions of a Russian offensive, the President noted that Russia's goals remain largely unchanged.

“They will do everything to cross the administrative border of Dnipro region. That’s what they want. So far, they haven’t succeeded. They want to capture Pokrovsk. Luhansk and Donetsk regions remain the strategic objectives they’ve had since 2014,” the Ukrainian leader added.

• As of May 26, 4 border settlements in the Sumy region were under Russian control.