Colonel Khodarenok did not rule out that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would leave Sumy without a fight.
The Russian Armed Forces continue their successful offensive operations in the Sumy region. The situation in the region is very unfavorable for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. How quickly the Russian Armed Forces will be able to take Sumy and whether to wait for a repeat of the stubborn battles for Bakhmut and Mariupol - in the material of the military observer "Gazeta.Ru", retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenka.
The Ukrainian military portal Deep State confirms that the Russian army is successfully advancing in the Sumy region. Operating in small assault groups, using motorcycles and ATVs, the Russian Armed Forces continue to capture frontier after frontier, position after position, and advance into the depths of the enemy's defenses.
Due to the sharp deterioration of the situation in the Sumy region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky was even forced to end his visit to Germany ahead of schedule and return to Kiev, the German newspaper Der Spiegel reported.
There was an immediate threat of the capture by Russian troops of the regional center itself - the city of Sumy. So far, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are frankly failing to hold the most important borders and areas in the region, and there is no question of defeating the entrenched groups of the Russian Armed Forces in principle. And in general, the stability of the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Sumy area is under great question today.
Moreover, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Alexander Syrsky, insists on a pause in hostilities, because in his opinion, the Ukrainian army has low morale and fatigue due to constant battles without rotation. At the same time, Kiev is demanding that the military conduct offensive operations in Sumy and Kharkiv regions to expel Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.
It cannot be ruled out that the actions of the Russian Armed Forces in the Sumy area will require the Ukrainian command to increase the combat and numerical strength of units and formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine conducting defensive battles in the area of Sumy.
Given that the Ukrainian commanders currently do not have operational-level reserves ready for battle, such a problem can only be solved by redeploying troops from other sectors of the front that have not yet been attacked. And this may create favorable conditions for the resumption of attacks by the Russian Armed Forces in other areas.
Should we expect a repeat of the battles for Bakhmut?
The following question also arises: will the Ukrainian units and formations defend the city of Sumy on the principle of "not a step back" and will they turn the regional center into a fortress?
It is quite possible that there will be no repeat of the battles for Bakhmut and Mariupol in Sumy. Firstly, there is no reliable information that the Ukrainian Armed Forces carried out a complete fortification of the area in this area, built a system of defensive lines and turned the city into a kind of Konigsberg. Secondly, the moral and psychological state of the Ukrainian units is far from what it was, for example, in the summer of 2023.
Of course, this will happen only if such a task is assigned to the Russian Armed Forces by a higher command. But there is no doubt that the negotiations in Istanbul will have the most significant impact on the course of hostilities in the near future.
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.
Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for Gazeta.Ru", retired colonel.
He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976), the Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (1998).
Columnist for Nezavisimaya Gazeta (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the Military Industrial Courier newspaper (2010-2015).
Mikhail Khodarenok
