The leader of Russia’s Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, claimed that Russian forces seized the border village of Ryzhivka in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region. However, there was no immediate comment from Russia’s defense ministry and a local Ukrainian official denied Kadyrov’s claim. Sumy region, located on Ukraine’s northern border, has not seen a major Russian ground assault since the beginning of the conflict in 2022.
Kadyrov stated that fighters from his Akhmat battalion, along with servicemen from other Russian units, conducted operations to liberate Ryzhivka. He mentioned that the village is on the border with the Kursk region, adding that Ukrainian forces suffered losses and were forced to retreat. AFP was unable to verify Kadyrov’s claims on the battlefield.
Yuriy Zarko, the Ukrainian head of the local municipality, refuted reports of Ryzhivka being captured, stating that there were no Russian troops in the village. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously warned of Russia amassing troops along the northern border, leading to evacuations in some border towns in the Sumy region due to the risk of increased Russian attacks.
On May 10, Russia initiated a major ground operation in the neighboring Kharkiv region, capturing several towns and villages as Ukrainian forces faced shortages in manpower and ammunition. Despite Ukraine sending reinforcements, they continued to lose ground to Russia in other areas, prompting Zelensky to anticipate difficult battles in the eastern Donetsk region.
