Ukrainian defense forces thwarted a Russian offensive in the Sumy region
Ukrainian defense forces have halted attempts by Russian troops to advance in the north of Sumy Oblast, where the occupying forces carried out limited offensive operations on August 17 and 18.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a report from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
U.S. analysts noted that Russian troops were unable to advance because Ukrainian units launched counterattacks.
“On August 17 and 18, Russian troops continued limited offensive operations in the north of the Sumy region but did not advance because Ukrainian forces counterattacked in the area,” the ISW reported.
One Russian military blogger also acknowledged that Ukrainian forces successfully launched counterattacks near Mogrytsia and Sadkiv, located northeast of Sumy.
According to the ISW, on August 17 and 18, Russian forces attempted to advance in the north of the Kharkiv region as well, but were also unsuccessful.
Separately, analysts drew attention to the situation near Vovchansk. According to their assessments, over the past month, Russian troops have lost more territory there than they were able to capture.
At the same time, the ISW refuted new claims by the Russian Ministry of Defense regarding the alleged advance of Russian troops in this sector of the front.
Russian forces also attempted to advance:
- toward Velykyi Burluk;
- in the Kupiansk direction.
According to U.S. analysts, these attempts were also unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops recently advanced toward Borova.
The ISW cites geolocated video footage released on August 15. In the footage, Russian troops are seen shelling Ukrainian positions north of Novomykhailivka, southeast of Borova. Analysts assess that this indicates a recent advance by Ukrainian forces in this area.
Thus, according to the ISW’s assessment, Russian troops were unable to launch an offensive on several sections of the front simultaneously, while Ukrainian units continue to carry out localized counterattacks and are making isolated advances.
Today marks the 1,639th day of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 239 combat engagements took place along the front lines over the past 24 hours.
On August 19, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported new losses suffered by the Russian army. Over the past day, Ukrainian defenders eliminated 1,190 invaders, and the total losses of Russian personnel since the start of the full-scale invasion have exceeded 1.47 million soldiers.
As a reminder, on August 18 in Kramatorsk, a Russian “Shahed” struck a modular shelter. The protective structure sustained significant damage from the direct hit.
On August 18, 2026, jet-powered drones were detected for the first time in western Ukraine. They traveled approximately 900 km from their launch site.
On the morning of August 18, Russia launched 76 jet-powered drones at Ukraine.
