The Ukrainian military says it has begun pushing back Russian troops in the northeastern Sumy region, where it is preparing a counteroffensive following advances by Moscow.
Fighting has intensified despite a return to direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv in recent months. Russian forces have carved out a 200 square kilometre (77.22 square miles) chunk of Ukraine’s Sumy region and first entered the Dnipropetrovsk region last month.
“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.
“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 General Staff also claimed on Monday that Russia has lost more than one million troops during its invasion of Ukraine after losing more than 1,000 in the past day alone.
The figures from Kyiv have not been verified by independent sources – but the Center for Strategic & International Studies reported earlier this month that up to 250,000 soldiers have been killed with up to 950,000 casualties.
