Key Points and Summary – Conflicting reports have emerged about the battlefield situation in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region.
-Ukraine’s top commander, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, claimed last week that his forces have halted Russia’s advance and even liberated some territory.
-However, a recent Wall Street Journal report from the front line paints a darker picture, with Russian forces just 12 miles from Sumy city and outnumbering Ukrainians 3-to-1 in the area.
-In a significant policy shift, Ukraine also announced its withdrawal from the 1997 Ottawa Convention, which bans anti-personnel landmines, arguing the move is necessary as Russia is not a party to the treaty and uses mines extensively.
The Battle for Sumy Rages in Ukraine
A Ukrainian commander said last week that Ukraine has halted Russia’s advance in the Sumy region, although another report states that Russia is bringing more troops to the region.
According to an Associated Press report late last week, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s armed forces, has said that Ukraine’s forces have stabilized the front line there.
The AP cited the general as stating that Ukraine has successfully “prevented Russia from deploying about 50,000 Russian troops, including elite airborne and marine brigades, to other areas of the front line,” although the AP could not independently verify those claims.
“Our troops maintain defenses along the designated border, conduct preparation and counter-offensive measures to repel the enemy,” the Ukrainian military’s general staff said on Facebook this week, as reported by The Independent.
“Yes, as a result of the successful actions of Ukrainian soldiers, the settlement of Andriyivka was liberated. In addition, our units advanced in the area of Oleksíivka, pushing the opponent away from Sumy,” the Facebook post added.
In addition, Ukraine reiterated the claim, made earlier in the month, that Russian combat deaths since the start of the war have exceeded 1 million.
“A Precarious Position”
The Wall Street Journal’s latest story on the matter, reported directly from Sumy, painted a darker picture for the Ukrainian war effort.
“Russian forces are just 12 miles from this northern Ukrainian regional capital, a new target for Moscow, as the Kremlin presses its manpower advantage at a growing number of places along the front,” the Journal story, reported by Ian Lovett and Nikita Nikolaienko, says.
“Having almost entirely ejected Ukrainian forces from the Russian Kursk region earlier this year, Russian forces have now poured over the border in the opposite direction toward Sumy. With 50,000 troops in the area, they outnumber the Ukrainians roughly 3-to-1, according to soldiers fighting there.”
The story notes that Ukraine has used “elite commando units” to help stabilize the situation in the Sumy region, which has succeeded in stopping the Russian advance and even clawing back some territory.
The story also quoted Syrskiy, the Ukrainian commander, as stating that the Russians’ “main strategy” remains to “wear us down with their numbers.”
The Journal also notes that the Russians have “stepped up” attacks in recent weeks, especially after the most recent round of peace talks in Istanbul collapsed without any movement towards a ceasefire.
The other problem for Ukraine is that the front line has grown much longer as the war has gone on, extended more than 100 miles to a total of 750 miles over the past year, the Ukrainian commander told the Journal.
“Their numbers are a big problem for us, though not enough to overrun us,” the commander of the Chimera unit of the Timur Special Forces Unit, known as Kappa, told the Journal. “The enemy is losing 300 to 400 people per day across the region. But they can deal with that level of casualties…They keep bringing in reserves.”
Exiting the Mine Treaty
Also, this week, according to The Independent, Ukraine said that it is pulling out of the Ottawa Convention, “which bans the production and use of anti-personnel mines.”
“Support the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to withdraw Ukraine from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction of September 18, 1997,” the decree says, which the newspaper reports was published on the website of President Zelenskyy.
“This is a step that the reality of war has long demanded. Russia is not a party to this Convention and is massively using mines against our military and civilians,” Roman Kostenko, a Ukrainian lawmaker, said on Facebook, as reported by the newspaper. “We cannot remain tied down in an environment where the enemy has no restrictions.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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waco
July 2, 2025 at 10:54 am
Russian forces currently hold the upper hand in sumy region, and the capital, also called by the same name, is already well within artillery range.
Despite putting up stiff resistance, the ukros in sumy will eventually have to retreat westward. Unless they desire to get surrounded. From Russians creeping toward them through the direction of dnipropetrovsk.
The decision by the US white house to stop sending ammo to kyiv to avoid depleting domestic stocks is telling.
That will require the ukros in sumy to leave ASAP before they start to run out of bullets and shells.
The end is near for ukros’ possession of the sumy region or province. They will lose it permanently or forever after this year. Bye-bye ukros.