Putin stated that Russian forces are 12 km from Sumy; he had previously cited a distance of 10.5 km
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin claimed that the occupying forces were allegedly 12 km away from Sumy. However, as recently as late June 2026, he had cited a distance of 10.5 km, and data from DeepState maps indicate a significantly greater distance.
In late June, Putin claimed that the Russian army was 10.5 km from Sumy.
At that time, he claimed that Russian troops were advancing rapidly in that direction.
“We are about 10.5 km from the city of Sumy. ... Troops in this direction are operating actively and decisively, advancing at a rapid pace,” Putin said.
During a conversation with Russian media on September 2, Putin cited a different distance to Sumy—12 km.
“The ‘North’ military group continues to establish a security zone along the Russian-Ukrainian border in the border areas of Sumy Oblast... There are 12 km left to Sumy, to the Sumy ring road,” the Russian dictator stated.
Thus, over the course of more than two months, according to Putin’s account, the distance to Sumy has not decreased but, on the contrary, has increased by 1.5 km.
At the same time, data from the DeepState map does not corroborate the Russian leadership’s claims.
According to the map, Russian troops are located approximately 17 km from the administrative border of Sumy.
Thus, the figures cited by Putin differ significantly from the data provided by open-source mapping resources.
His new statement also drew attention because he had previously cited a shorter distance—10.5 km—despite claims of the Russian army’s active and rapid advance.
As a reminder, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin held a closed-door meeting in Bishkek on September 1 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. The talks lasted about 90 minutes, and Moscow once again stated its readiness to discuss the Ukrainian issue in Turkey.
As a reminder, Putin claimed two fictitious victories for the Russian Federation.
Putin also threatened Ukraine with new strikes on its energy sector.
During the summit in Bishkek, the Russian delegation, led by dictator Vladimir Putin, held a meeting with the Chinese delegation, where the Kremlin leader tried to paint a rosy picture of a shared future for Russia and China to Xi Jinping. But the whole thing turned out to be quite pathetic.
