Russia Seizes Four Villages in Ukraine's Sumy Region

Kyiv, May 27 (AP) - In a significant move, Russian forces have seized control of four border villages in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region, a local official reported Tuesday. The development follows Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent directive to establish a buffer zone along the border.

Amidst escalating tension, a recent surge in Russia's bombing campaign has noticeably slowed. The past few nights have seen a reduction in the number of Russian drones targeting Ukrainian towns and cities.

Despite persistent efforts by the US to broker a ceasefire and encourage peace talks, Moscow's invasion shows no signs of abating. Talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations held in Turkey earlier this month resulted in a sizeable prisoner exchange, but no significant breakthroughs have been achieved.

From Friday to Sunday, Russian forces unleashed approximately 900 drones on Ukraine, marking a period of intensified assaults. Sunday night saw Russia launch what has been described as the largest drone attack of the 3-year conflict, deploying 355 drones.

However, the pace decreased as Russia released 60 drones on Ukraine between Monday and Tuesday, according to the Ukrainian air force. In response, Russia's Ministry of Defence reported its air defences intercepted 99 Ukrainian drones overnight across seven Russian regions.

The surge in attacks over the weekend provoked a strong response from US President Donald Trump, who accused Putin of having "gone crazy." This comment drew a sharp rebuke from Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who criticized the "emotional reactions" to unfolding events.

In a more conciliatory tone on Tuesday, Peskov acknowledged US peace efforts, remarking that "the Americans and President Trump have taken a quite balanced approach." Meanwhile, in Sumy, Russian forces are reportedly pushing further into the region after capturing the villages, according to Oleh Hryhorov, head of the Sumy regional military administration.

Ukrainian forces are valiantly attempting to hold their positions. Hryhorov assured that residents from the captured villages were evacuated earlier and that civilians currently face no immediate threat.

Last week, Putin made a rare visit to the Kursk region amid Russia's claims of expelling Ukrainian forces from the area, a claim contested by Kyiv officials. Ukraine had taken control of a land pocket in Kursk last August.

Putin acknowledged that the long border remains susceptible to Ukrainian incursions. He has instructed the Russian military to establish a "security buffer zone," though exact details on its scope or location remain undisclosed.

Previously, Putin declared that a Russian offensive aimed to establish a buffer zone in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, a move intended to shield Russia's Belgorod border region, which has frequently suffered from Ukrainian attacks, embarrassing the Kremlin. (AP) NSA NSA

(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)