Russian probes near Stepok meet Ukrainian clearing operations across Sumy border sectors
Local reports describe low-intensity but persistent fighting in Sumy oblast, with Russian forces improving positions near Stepok while Ukrainian units clear grey-zone areas and push back infiltrations near Khotin, Yunakivka and Hlukhiv.
Front-line activity in Ukraine’s Sumy region remains limited in scale but steady, with Russian and Ukrainian forces both adjusting positions rather than launching major offensives.
On the Krasnopillya direction in Sumy oblast, Russian units have improved their positions in the village of Stepok. They have taken up new locations toward the western outskirts of the settlement and established control over nearby forested areas, according to situational reporting.
Further west, along the Khotin and Yunakivka directions, Ukrainian forces have spent the past three weeks on clearing operations and counterattacks. Their focus has been on the grey-zone forests north of Sumy city, where earlier Russian infiltrations had created contested pockets. Ukrainian units have pushed Russian forces out of several positions south of Kindrativka and are reported to have continued efforts in adjacent areas.
On the Hlukhiv direction, low-intensity fighting has also persisted over the last month. Ukrainian forces cleared the surroundings of Bachivsk and Tovstodubove from earlier Russian infiltrations and re-established control over most of Bachivsk. Other Russian assault groups have been active in nearby sectors, seeking to improve their own lines.
These localized advances, clearances and counter-moves suggest both sides are probing and adjusting the northern front rather than shifting the overall map. Changes to watch include any Russian attempt to expand gains around Stepok into deeper pushes, and whether Ukrainian clearing operations can fully remove Russian footholds in the forests and settlements north of Sumy city.
Sources
- OSINT