UKRAINE, Mar. 10 — Russian forces want to create a 20-kilometer (12.4 miles) “buffer zone” near the border in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, which is why they are seizing border villages, Mykhailo Drapatyi the Commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Army, told Ukrainska Pravda, Ukrainian media outlet.

Drapatyi said that Russians are occupying border villages in Sumy oblast, including areas far from the “line of contact.”

The military calls it “tactical diversionary actions” or the so-called “thousand cuts” tactic, in which small sabotage groups infiltrate Ukrainian defense positions to disrupt logistics, find weak spots, and eventually slowly seize the territory. Heavy equipment advances or active assaults do not follow these actions, Drapatyi explained.

The Commander said that each Russian Group of Forces has its own objectives. So, the group called “Sievier” (“North” in English), which is located near the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, has a task to create a “buffer zone,” or how they call it “zone of influence,” Drapatyi added. 

“We have identified 12 areas where the enemy – using forces ranging from an assault group to possibly a battalion — will try to expand their control, including the Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, and Zolochiv directions,” said Drapatyi.

DeepState, an OSINT war-monitoring group, also noted that Russians are seizing border settlements in Sumy oblast. Russia has already occupied the villages of Hrabovske, Popivka, and Vysoke in the eastern part of the Sumy region. Russian forces also captured the villages of Sopych and Komarivka in the northern part of the oblast.

DeepState analysts also reported a  large amount of “gray zones,” where they recorded Russian activity.

“They are creating a buffer zone on our territory to secure their border and establish observation posts to obtain information before any Ukrainian maneuvers,” said the DeepState.

Russians are seizing border settlements in Sumy oblast
Russians are seizing border settlements in Sumy oblast / Photo: DeepState

At the same time, the drying up of the ground in the frontline in the Kharkiv region allowed Russian troops to resume their assault after a temporary pause in the winter, said the spokesperson of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade to the Ukrainian media outlet NovynyLive.

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