Ukraine’s HUR chief Budanov says he expects new Russian offensive in Sumy region

This was reported by The New York Times.

"The situation is on the edge," Budanov said in a video message from a bunker in Kharkiv. "Every hour this situation moves toward critical."

According to him, the reason for this is a critical shortage of weapons, especially artillery ammunition, and weapons worth $60.8 billion from the United States have barely begun to arrive in Ukraine.

According to Budanov, the Russian attacks in the northeast are aimed at depleting the reserves of Ukrainian soldiers and distracting them from participating in combat operations in other regions.

He added that the Ukrainian army is currently trying to redeploy troops from other parts of the front to strengthen its defense in the northeast.

"All of our forces are either here or in Chasiv Yar," said the head of the Intelligence Directorate, referring to a Ukrainian stronghold about 190 kilometers to the south. "I’ve used everything we have. Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone else in the reserves."

Based on the overall situation at the front, Budanov concluded that Ukrainian troops will be able to consolidate their positions and stabilize the front over the next few days. However, he expects Russia to launch a new offensive further north of Kharkiv, in the Sumy region.

• On May 14, Defense Express analyst Serhiy Zgurets said he believes that the Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region is intended not only to stretch the Ukrainian forces but also to create conditions for offensive actions in the Kupyansk direction.