Syrskyi reveals how AFU foiled offensive of russia on Sumy axis

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, told how the Defense Forces of Ukraine prevented an enemy attack on the Sumy Region, as well as transferred combat operations to the enemy's territory as a result of the operation in the Kursk Oblast of the russian federation.

He said this in an interview with CNN.

"First, the enemy, the Russian troops had previously intended to use the Kursk direction as a springboard for further operations against our troops. On May 10, they launched an offensive in the Kharkiv direction, and just a few days later they planned to strike and advance in the Sumy direction, using the Kursk direction and the territory of the Kursk Oblast as a springboard for further actions against our state, against our armed forces located there," Syrskyi said.

According to him, having suffered losses in the Kharkiv direction, the russians "stuck in their offensive" and actually went on the defensive in Vovchansk. The enemy stopped in the area of ​​Hlyboke, in the area of ​​Lyptsi, and those troops that were going on the offensive in the Kharkiv direction were no longer enough. After that, the occupiers gradually began to transfer those units that were in the Kursk Oblast, in the Sumy direction, to the Kharkiv direction.

"Thus, the offensive in the Sumy direction did not take place. But they continued to consider this direction, this bridgehead for their further actions," the Commander-in-Chief noted.

In addition, Syrskyi emphasized, the russians continued to shell Ukrainian settlements every day, which resulted in casualties among the civilian population.

"This continued until May, and in May there was a significant intensification. Even then it was clear that this delay was temporary," he explained.

Syrskyi also added: "For us, this direction has always been a threat. Therefore, assessing our capabilities, we chose the weakest place in the enemy's defense, in the enemy's structure. And this direction was chosen. This reduced the threat of the enemy's offensive. We did not give them the opportunity to act. We moved the fighting to the enemy's territory so that he felt what we feel every day. And we created our own security zone in the Kursk Oblast."

Also, the Commander-in-Chief drew attention, the Armed Forces took a sufficient number of prisoners and created an "exchange fund" in order to release Ukrainian servicemen who are in captivity.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the russian army lost approximately 6,000 soldiers killed and wounded during the fighting in the Kursk Oblast.

In addition, Zelenskyy reported that as a result of the Ukrainian operation in the Kursk Oblast of the aggressor state of russia, the Armed Forces   captured more than 600 russians.

Meanwhile, the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces talked about the work of the military commandant's office, which was created at the end of August in the territory of the Kursk Oblast controlled by Ukraine, the aggressor country of russia.