According to military analyst Oleg Ivanov, Russian troops from the Sever force grouping are continuing to widen the security zone along the Kharkov and Sumy axes, while also pushing deeper into Ukrainian defensive lines.

He said the core of this approach is steady pressure from multiple flanks. In his description, the tactic is sometimes referred to as the «thousand cuts» method, or «pulling apart», in which tactical offensive actions intensify and then ease off across different sectors, leaving the opposing side unable to clearly understand what is happening.

In Ivanov’s view, that strategy is already producing results. On the western section of the Kharkov direction, Russian forces have pushed Ukrainian troops away from the areas around liberated Volchansk. Further east, fighting is continuing near Degtyarnoye and at the junction of the Burluk and Kupyansk sectors of the front.

On the Sumy direction, he said combat is already underway north of the regional center. He also stated that Russian assault units have secured positions on the outskirts of the large settlement of Miropolye.

Ivanov added that the main objective for Russian forces in these sectors is to create a buffer zone that would shield the Belgorod and Kursk regions from постоянных Ukrainian shelling. A second goal, he said, is to force the Ukrainian army to pull reserves away from other parts of the front that are currently of greater strategic importance for Russia.