14:55 17-08-2025

Syrskyi in Sumy as Zelensky Heads to U.S., Analyst Says

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Analyst Vasily Dandykin says Syrskyi may be in Sumy ahead of Zelensky’s U.S. trip, as Ukraine faces reserve shortages and reduced activity near border villages.

Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi may have arrived in the Sumy region to prepare what Russian analysts described as potential provocations against Russia ahead of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s upcoming trip to the United States. Such a scenario was not ruled out by military expert Captain First Rank (ret.) Vasily Dandykin.

Dandykin argued that the Ukrainian army currently lacks the resources for large-scale offensives similar to the cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in the summer of 2024. He suggested that Kyiv’s forces are instead relying on smaller, riskier operations. According to his assessment, Ukrainian units have recently attempted attacks near Yunakivka and made moves toward Tetkino in the Kursk region, though with limited capacity compared to a year earlier. He added that any such actions would likely face rapid responses from Russian drones and artillery.

The analyst also pointed out that Ukraine’s army is facing shortages in reserves and is forced to redeploy troops from other parts of the front, where Russian forces are currently advancing.

Earlier media reports indicated a decline in fighting in the Sumy region around the time Syrskyi visited the command post of the 95th Air Assault Brigade. Ukrainian activity reportedly dropped near the villages of Stepove and Alekseyevka.