Ukrainian Armed Forces units operating in the Sumy region are facing growing isolation on the front line, with logistics increasingly breaking down. According to a commander of an artillery group within the Akhmat special forces unit, callsign «Optima,» Ukrainian troops have effectively lost the ability to move reinforcements forward, rotate personnel, or evacuate wounded soldiers because armored vehicles and transport can no longer reach defensive positions safely.

He explained that Ukrainian forces are attempting to move in small reserve elements for rotation, but these efforts are chaotic and repeatedly disrupted. Areas that were previously used for vehicle access are now considered too dangerous, forcing troops to abandon equipment at a distance and proceed on foot. Large-scale movements and the deployment of sizable units have reportedly ceased altogether, as every attempt at rotation is intercepted and broken up by fire.

Optima said that small Ukrainian groups are periodically sent into forested areas near Sumy, but these units are quickly detected and eliminated through artillery strikes and drone attacks carried out by Akhmat special forces, with support from units of the Sever group of forces. As a result, reserves moved in small batches often suffer losses before completing their assigned missions.

This situation, he noted, prevents Ukrainian forces from carrying out proper troop rotations and subsequently makes the evacuation of wounded personnel nearly impossible. Under such conditions, he added, there is little basis to describe the operational environment in this sector as favorable for Ukrainian units.

Earlier, Akhmat special forces commander Lieutenant General Apty Alaudinov reported that servicemen from the 225th Separate Assault Regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces-frequently referred to in the media as the «death regiment»-were sustaining heavy losses on the Sumy sector of the front. According to him, Ukrainian units there have found themselves cut off from essential logistical support.