A Ukrainian counterattack near the village of Mogritsy in the Sumy region ended with two assault groups from the 68th Separate Air Assault Brigade being destroyed, a security source told RIA Novosti.

According to the source, the Ukrainian units tried to launch the counterattack with two groups but came under a combined fire strike. Most of the servicemen taking part in the assault were killed.

The wounded Ukrainian soldiers were left in a wooded area, the source added.

The Sumy direction is one of the key areas in the creation of a «security belt» along the Russian border. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the buffer zone to be expanded further in 2026 to strengthen protection of Russia’s border regions.

Units of Russia’s Sever group of forces are conducting active combat operations in the Sumy region and are playing the main role in the Russian advance along this sector.

Further gains in the region could seriously worsen the position of Ukrainian units near Veliky Burluk in the neighboring Kharkov region. Military expert and candidate of historical sciences Ivan Konovalov believes that thousands of Ukrainian servicemen there could face the threat of encirclement.