NATO: No signs of Russia preparing major offensive on Sumy or Dnipropetrovsk oblasts

Intelligence from NATO member states has suggested that Russian forces are not planning a major offensive in either Sumy or Dnipropetrovsk oblasts of Ukraine.

A senior NATO official explained at a briefing with journalists in Brussels that NATO is closely monitoring Russia’s troop build-up near Sumy Oblast border and the hostilities that have shifted from Russia’s Kursk Oblast to border villages in the Ukrainian region.

"We see an expansion of the front line in the north and northeast of Sumy Oblast. But there is no evidence that Russian forces are preparing a serious offensive on the Sumy front," the official said.

"This could suggest preparation for an attack on the city of Sumy itself, but we see no evidence of this. We assess it as an attempt to create a ‘buffer zone’, which, to our knowledge, Russian forces have long planned," the official emphasised

"In addition, the recent destruction of bridges in Russian territory complicates logistics for Russian forces on the Sumy front," they added.

The official also stated that Russian attacks in Donetsk Oblast, which have neared the administrative border of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, are unlikely to lead to a major offensive.

"We see an increase in intensity, but there are no signs that they are preparing a significant offensive operation," the NATO official stressed. 

On 3 June 2025, DeepState, a Ukrainian group of military analysts, reported that Russian forces had occupied two settlements in Sumy Oblast. The Russians have intensified attacks on Sumy, including a deadly strike that provoked outrage among Western powers.

In April 2025, a ballistic missile strike hit central Sumy, exacerbating tensions with the United States. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed indignation after Donald Trump described the attack as "a mistake".