Russia plans to open another new front in Sumy Oblast in the coming days, former insider tells NV
After opening a new front in Kharkiv Oblast, Russia could attempt to stretch Ukrainian forces even thinner by attacking Sumy Oblast, former Ukrainian General Staff spokesperson Vladyslav Seleznyov told NV.
"The enemy now has a total of about 10,500 personnel deployed in Kursk Oblast (in Russia, north of Ukraine's Sumy Oblast - ed.),” he said.
“Up to three thousand [soldiers] are now being moved from the 44th Army Corps from Leningrad Oblast. That is, the grouping will be slightly increased. This isn't enough to allow the enemy to feel confident about seizing Sumy, but it might cause a lot of trouble for our Defense Forces."
Russia could increase its military actions in Sumy Oblast, he said, naming sabotage, reconnaissance, mortar and artillery attacks, and the usage of guided aerial bombs along the border.
"There are challenges and they are very serious,” he admitted.
“The Ukrainian General Staff will be forced to respond to these challenges, in particular by strengthening our groups operating in Sumy Oblast,” he told NV.
“To gather a large number of resources, while leaving enough to respond promptly to the challenges on the eastern front, makes it an incredibly difficult task to solve. I hope that this issue will be resolved in time, especially with the influx of weapons and military equipment supplied by our overseas partners."
Ukrainian Defense Forces have been preparing reserves for the past two months and are now actively using them to stabilize the situation at various areas of the front, he said, paraphrasing General Staff Chief, General Anatoliy Bargylevych.
Russian attacks in Kharkiv Oblast will continue for "another three or four days," after which Russian troops are expected to "make a hard push in the direction of Sumy," Ukraine's spy chief Kyrylo Budanov said.
Read also: Russia not likely to seize Kharkiv without extra troops — UK intel
Russian occupation forces attempted to breach Ukrainian defenses near Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast at 5:00 a.m. on May 10, Ukraine's Defense Ministry reported.
Ukrainian defenders repelled the attacks.
The Russians heavily shelled border towns.
Russian forces have begun a new wave of counteroffensive actions in the area, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, announcing that Ukraine will reinforce its troops on the Kharkiv front.
The Russians occupied several villages in the border areas of the Kharkiv Oblast, the DeepState monitoring group claimed on May 12.
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