“Based on the results of May-June, we can state that the current wave of the enemy’s so-called ‘summer offensive’ attempts from russian territory is ending the same way it did last year – with the enemy's failed attempt to advance in the Kharkiv oblast. However, the decisions we made earlier are already yielding results. The advance of russian troops in the border areas of the Sumy oblast has been stopped as of this week, and the line of contact has been stabilized. In certain areas, our units are successfully employing active defense tactics and are liberating Ukrainian land in the border regions of the Sumy oblast”, - noted Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi on June 26 in Telegram.
According to him, in the North-Slobozhansk and Kursk directions, we have once again tied down about 50,000 russian troops, including elite airborne and marine brigades.
“Our offensive actions in the Hlushkivskyi district of the Kursk oblast forced the enemy to redirect part of its forces to defend its own territory. This has significantly weakened the offensive potential of the enemy’s main force group in the Sumy direction. A special group has been created within our command on the North-Slobozhansk axis to focus on the defense of the Sumy oblast – its cities and communities. The top priorities are strengthening fortifications and expanding the system of engineering and defensive barriers”, - Syrskyi noted.
An official has also been appointed to be directly responsible for preparing the cities and communities of the Sumy oblast for defense and ensuring the effectiveness of the engineering obstacle system in likely enemy offensive directions.
A deputy has been appointed specifically for engineering and fortification efforts.
Syrskyi analyzed the real situation directly in the fields and forests, inspecting fortification lines, including those areas overseen by the Oblast Military Administration (OMA) and the State Special Transport Service (SSTS). According to him, work is ongoing, but it must be accelerated given the demands of modern warfare.
“Building additional fortifications, organizing kill zones, creating anti-drone corridors to protect our soldiers, and ensuring more reliable logistics for our forces are obvious tasks currently being carried out – but the speed of execution must increase significantly. I will return for inspection within a set time frame”, - Syrskyi added.
Syrskyi awarded the best soldiers with honorary distinctions from the Commander-in-Chief.