Border clashes near Sumy turn forests and villages into a quiet new front
Low‑intensity fighting around villages and forest belts in Sumy Oblast has seen Russian forces advance near Stepok while Ukrainian troops clear grey‑zone areas near Kindrativka, Bachivsk, and other border settlements.
A belt of villages and forest strips along Ukraine’s northern border with Russia has become a slowly shifting front line, as both sides probe defenses near Sumy in a campaign that threatens a regional capital while remaining far quieter than battles in the east and south.
On the Krasnopillya axis in Sumy Oblast, Russian and Ukrainian forces have spent recent weeks in low-intensity but persistent combat, trading small advances and mounting limited assault operations. Russian units have improved their positions in the village of Stepok, pushing toward its western outskirts, and have established control over nearby forested areas.
To the northwest, on the Khotin and Yunakivka directions, Ukrainian forces have moved to regain the initiative. Over roughly three weeks, they carried out clearing operations and counterattacks aimed at pushing Russian infiltrations out of the grey zone in and around forests north of Sumy City.
In the west of this sector, Ukrainian troops have pushed Russian forces out of a number of positions south of Kindrativka, according to battlefield reporting. These actions have targeted earlier Russian gains in forest belts that had allowed small groups to slip across the border.
Farther east, in the Hlukhiv direction, a similar pattern has unfolded over the past month. Low-intensity fighting continues as Russian and Ukrainian forces each try to improve their positions. Ukrainian units have cleared the surroundings of Bachivsk and Tovstodubove of earlier Russian infiltrations and have re-established control over most of Bachivsk.
Russian assault groups in this area are still trying to secure better positions along the frontier, while Ukrainian forces work to restrict their room for maneuver.
For Ukrainian commanders, this northern sector demands troops and attention even as heavier fighting continues elsewhere. Holding places such as Bachivsk and areas near Krasnopillya reduces Russia’s ability to use northern Ukraine as a flank.
For Russia, incremental advances into forested strips around villages like Stepok create options for harassment attacks and potential deeper moves if forces and logistics are built up.
Key indicators in the coming weeks will be whether Russian positions near Stepok become launchpads for further advances, and whether Ukrainian clearing operations around Sumy can push the grey zone back toward the border.
Sources
- OSINT