Sumy city under threat as Russian forces advance, says Ukraine
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A Russian artillery attack on the city of Sumy killed four people and injured 28 on June 3.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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KYIV – Russian forces have widened the front line in Ukraine’s northern region of Sumy, officials and analysts said, and Moscow said it captured another village on June 4, bringing the region’s capital closer to within the range of front-line drones.
The advance towards the city of Sumy – the administrative centre of the Sumy region – comes as Kyiv showed its ability to continue fighting by conducting a series of strikes the Crimean Bridge.
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On June 3, Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces took control of Andriivka, after capturing several other villages in recent days.
Kyiv said a Russian artillery attack on the city of Sumy
The head of the military administration of the Sumy region, which lies north of Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, held a meeting on June 3 to discuss the region’s defence strategy.
“The situation in the border area of Sumy region remains complex, dynamic, but controllable,” Mr Oleh Hryhorov, the head of the military administration, said on Facebook.
“The Russian army is constantly shelling border villages, hitting residential buildings, farms and civilian infrastructure facilities.”
The dual advance with fierce front-line fighting and missile and drone strikes in Sumy hinders Ukraine's defence abilities along in the south-east Donbas region, of which Moscow is seeking full control, military analysts say.
On June 2, Mr Ivan Shevtsov, a spokesman for the Ukrainian brigades fighting in Sumy, told Ukrainian national broadcaster that Russian forces had captured about 15km along the front line, going 6km to 7km deep.
If Russian advances take the town of Yunakivka, the city of Sumy will be under a direct threat, Mr Shevtsov said.
The Ukrainian Deep State blog of analysts who track the front line using open sources said Russian forces are moving to within 20km to 25km of Sumy, putting the city within a range of shorter-range attack drones.
Reuters could not independently verify the Russian claim of capturing Andriivka and Ukraine’s general staff made no references to the village in its evening battlefield report. Deep State said early on June 4 that Andriivka was now in Russian hands.
Over the weekend, Sumy’s authorities ordered mandatory evacuation of 11 additional villages due to escalating Russian attacks.
Mr Shevtsov said Russia wants to completely capture the Sumy region, not just make a small incursion.
“Just... like other regions in eastern Ukraine,” he said. REUTERS
