Units of Russia’s Northern military grouping have taken control of Ivolzhanskoye in the Sumy Region, according to the Russian Defense Ministry’s June 24 report on the course of the special military operation.

The village, whose population stood at about 230 people in the 2001 census, is located roughly halfway between the border with the Kursk Region and the regional center of Sumy.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the Northern grouping had established control over Ivolzhanskoye as a result of active operations. The ministry added that taking the settlement helps widen the security zone along the border areas and strengthens the positions of Russia’s Northern forces.

The same report stated that, over the past day, Russian troops took 114 buildings in Konstantinovka. In Krasny Liman, 43 buildings came under Russian control. The ministry also reported the destruction of a blocked unit from the 120th Territorial Defense Brigade of Ukrainian forces in the northwestern part of the city.

Military experts noted that after taking Ivolzhanskoye, Russian troops entered a large forested area north of Sumy. The distance from Russian forward positions near Ivolzhanskoye to the outskirts of the regional center has now been reduced to 11 kilometers.