**Russia Attempts to Break Through Border in Sumy Oblast**
The Russian army is trying to break through the Russia-Ukraine border in Sumy Oblast, according to Ukrainian State Border Guard spokesperson Andrii Demchenko. This comes after Russian forces attempted to cross the border near the village of Novenke last week but were repelled.
**Russian Plans to Cut Off Logistics Routes**
Demchenko said that Russia is trying to enter Ukrainian territory with assault groups in the direction of Novenke, which lies just across the border from Sumy. The Ukrainian army is making every effort to prevent Russian units from gaining a foothold on Ukrainian territory.
**Previous Incursion into Kursk Oblast**
Ukraine launched a surprise cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast last summer to draw away Moscow’s troops from Donbas and disrupt Russian plans for an offensive from the north. After six months of fighting, Russian troops have regained control of about 64% of the territory in the region.
**Russian Casualties**
Russian casualties have reached nearly 40,000 in Kursk Oblast, including over 16,000 killed, according to Ukraine’s General Staff. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said last November that the incursion thwarted Russia’s plans to invade Sumy Oblast and create a “buffer zone” in the region.
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