Russia mass troops in rear areas, gears up for new offensive, says Ukrainian frontline commander

There are 2-3 enemy divisions in the rear areas of the brigade’s sector of responsibility.

"They (Russian forces) have reserves, they are adequately manned, they have been on training grounds for more than a month, preparing for their future actions," he said, adding that measures were being taken to prepare for a "major offensive". 

“We are improving the defensive engineering of our positions, preparing intermediate positions. We continue to train our personnel as much as possible."

This follows an earlier statement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on March 26 that Russia was preparing for a new offensive in the Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts this spring.

On March 18, Vadym Mysnyk, spokesperson for the Siversk operational-tactical group, said that near Sumy Oblast, a significant number of Russian units, which previously participated in combat operations in Kursk Oblast, were actively advancing toward the border.

On March 20, Zelenskyy announced that Russia was accumulating troops in the Sumy direction, trying to push the Defense Forces out of Kursk Oblast. However, Ukrainian forces "unexpectedly made moves in another direction."

On March 24, State Border Guard service spokesperson Andriy Demchenko reported that Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups (SRGs) were attempting to expand the "foothold" into Sumy Oblast and move combat operations from Kursk Oblast onto Ukrainian territory.