Russian forces have occupied a 4-kilometer-wide strip along the border in the Sumy region
Russian troops have occupied a strip along the Ukrainian border in the Sumy region, extending 2 to 4 kilometers inland. According to Viktor Tregubov, spokesperson for the Joint Forces Operation, the occupiers attempted to expand this zone but were unable to advance any further.
In the Sumy region, Russian troops are holding a strip along the Ukrainian border up to 4 kilometers deep. Viktor Tregubov, spokesperson for the Joint Forces Operation, described the situation in this area during a televised broadcast. According to him, this refers to the Ukrainian section of the Northern Slobozhanshchyna sector. Overall, he described the situation there as stable.
“Separately, we still have a small part of the Sumy region—this is our section of the Northern Slobozhansky direction. And the situation there is fairly stable. There, the Russians have occupied a strip along the Ukrainian border. It is not deep, ranging from 2 to 4 kilometers,” Tregubov said.
Russia was unable to expand the zone
The spokesperson noted that Russian forces attempted to advance further and expand the occupied strip. However, these attempts did not allow them to expand the zone. “They can’t expand it, but it’s bad that they’ve ‘marked out’ such a strip right along the border,” Tregubov noted.
According to him, the main feature of the situation at the moment is that Russian troops have managed to establish a foothold precisely along the border but cannot advance significantly deeper into the region.
Russians Have Intensified Activities in the Kharkiv Region
At the same time, Tregubov described the situation on other sections of the front. In particular, Russian troops have stepped up their activity in the Velykoburlutsky direction. The occupiers have intensified pressure on Ukrainian units and are attempting to advance. Another situation is unfolding in the Southern Slobozhanshchyna sector. According to the spokesperson, Russian troops there have somewhat lost the offensive capability they previously possessed.
Despite this, the occupiers have not given up on their attempts to move south. “They somewhat exhausted their offensive capabilities by the end of the summer. And there’s a very amusing ‘schizophrenia’ there, with a disconnect between their statements and their actual gains on the ground,” said Tregubov.
Thus, in the Sumy region, Russian troops are currently holding a relatively narrow strip along the border but are unable to expand it. In other sectors of the Northern and Southern Slobozhansky directions, the situation remains tense, and Russian troops continue to attempt to advance.
On the night of September 20, the Ukrainian military struck the Moscow Oil Refinery in the Kapotnya area. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the strike and announced that one of Russia’s key oil industry facilities had been hit. The General Staff reported that a massive fire broke out on the refinery’s grounds following the attack.
The head of state also stated that Russia must end the war against Ukraine. “Moscow must stop building echeloned air defense rings at the expense of other regions and instead end its brutal war and choose peace,” Zelenskyy said. According to him, there are already possible steps toward de-escalation, particularly in the energy sector and food security. At the same time, the president emphasized the need for political will. Currently, the Ukrainian side continues to develop long-range weapons and strike Russian military and industrial facilities which, according to Ukraine, are linked to the supply of its army. The head of state announced this on Facebook.
On the night of September 20, Moscow and the Moscow region came under a massive drone attack. One of the strikes hit the Gazpromneft-MNPZ oil refinery in the Kapotnya area of Moscow, after which a fire broke out at the facility.
