From the very beginning, the Russians were planning an operation in Sumy Region, as well as in Kharkiv Region, said Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Defence Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, on television.
"As of now, small groups of Russians remain in the border area in the direction from the enemy town of Sudzha to our Sumy direction. However, the situation does not allow the Russians to take active action yet.
"The active phase of the Russian border operation in the Kharkiv Region is now underway, and has been observed for five days. It is definitely not true to say that they are having significant success. At the same time, we must remember that the situation is quite tense and changing very quickly," Budanov said.
The DIU chief noted that the situation is not catastrophic and there is no need to panic. The fighting will continue and it will not be easy, but the enemy will not go away.
"The main goal of this operation is informational. To create chaos and panic, backing it up with actions on the ground. To force our groups to retreat in the eastern directions... Secondly, to destabilise the situation inside the country," explained the DIU chief.
As of Monday evening, in Budanov's opinion, the situation in Kharkiv Region was ripe for stabilisation: the Russians were blocked at the borders they were able to enter. The operation to stabilise and begin to push Russian soldiers out of Ukraine is underway.