Apr 9 — Russia has actually already begun the offensive in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said in an interview with LB, Ukrainian media.

Previously, Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially confirmed the presence of Ukrainian troops in Russia’s Belgorod region, deployed there to “protect the communities of Kharkiv and Sumy regions.”

“I can say that the President is absolutely right, and this offensive has already begun. During the past week, we have seen the number of attacks double in all major directions,” noted Syrskyi.

Five million troops in Russia are prepared to be mobilized, and 20 million is their overall “human resource for mobilization,” Syrskyi said.

“Each month, the Russian army increases their numbers by 8,000-9,000 troops; that’s 120,000-130,000 increase in a year. On January 1, 2025, Russia had 603,000 soldiers, and today it is 623,000,” said Syrskyi.

Center for Countering Disinformation reports that the Russian army spends a lot of resources to hold territories in the north of the Kharkiv region, which is why a new offensive on the city is impossible.

“Russian Iskander missiles, attack drones, and ballistic missiles are the one danger for Kharkiv for now. This means that Russians have no resources for the offensive on the city,” said the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, Andrii Kovalenko.

Kovalenko explained that Russian troops “ramped up the combat” in the Sumy and Kharkiv directions, but this could not be equated with a direct threat to the cities.

Russia’s army increased offensive operations across the entire front line, according to the General Staff in Kyiv and soldiers speaking to CNN.

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