Russian President Vladimir Putin, answering a question about Sumy, said at SPIEF: “We do not have such a task: to capture the city of Sumy, but, in principle, I do not exclude it!”
Yet, looking at the actions of the Russian armed forces on the line of contact, it seems that the Russian army has begun a summer military campaign and is developing an offensive in the northern regions of Ukraine. According to Ukrainian social media sources: “The regions of Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk are under attack by Russian troops, there is a constant penetration of Russian armed forces units into Ukrainian defenses, and the main Ukrainian fortified areas have been eliminated.”
Many people in the social sphere are now wondering what scenario the Russian offensive will develop according to and what measures the Ukrainian commanders will take to at least stop the Russian advance.
The Ukrainian command expected to create a flanking threat from the Komar-Otradne-Bahatyr area for the advancing Russian groups. As long as these positions were in the hands of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Ukrainians could accumulate forces and go on the offensive, reaching units and subdivisions of the Russian Armed Forces at the most unfavorable moment.
“This – according to Russian military analysts – is a classic example of military art. At the base of the breakthrough, the defenders occupy important positions. And when the attackers are drawn into battle and advance, the defenders launch a sudden flank attack. Often, this can lead not only to defeat and disruption of the front breakthrough operation, but even to the encirclement of the advancing units and formations”.
Unfortunately, however, the “long-lasting” Ukrainian fortifications have already been almost completely overcome by Russian troops in the last three weeks. Local defense lines still remain, but patchy. But overall, they do not play a special role. The Komar-Otradnoe-Bogatyr line has already been torn apart by the joint efforts of the “eastern” and “central” forces.
It may therefore prove difficult for Ukrainian troops to stop the Russian advance in the region.
Graziella Giangiulio
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