A Ukrainian infantryman recounted spending 22 harrowing days in a foxhole, where every attempt to advance on a Russian-occupied village felt like a suicide mission.
The soldier, identified only by his call sign, Knyaz, described the relentless barrage of mortar fire and overhead drones. Survival meant constant movement: “Running and hiding under trees. Digging into the tree lines. Sleeping there. Living there.”
After a month of intense combat, Knyaz’s unit successfully liberated Kindrativka, a small village in the northeastern Sumy region. This victory, verified by independent battlefield monitors, marks one of two villages reclaimed by Ukraine in the area this summer. These modest but significant territorial gains are vital for Kyiv, as its forces now press closer to other Russian-held settlements.
This successful counteroffensive in Sumy, a region bordering Russia, offers a rare counter-narrative to a battlefield largely controlled by Moscow’s forces. Reports indicate that since May, Russia has seized between 170 and 215 square miles of territory monthly. Ukrainian commanders consistently highlight being outnumbered and outgunned by their adversaries.
These minor territorial gains in Sumy are strategically significant for Ukraine, helping to dismantle Moscow’s assertion of inevitable victory and strengthening Kyiv’s resolve against unfavorable peace agreements. Analysts report that Russia’s operations in Sumy have faltered, leading them to redeploy troops to other battlefronts, particularly in the eastern Donetsk region where they aim to encircle crucial cities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared Russia’s Sumy operation “has failed” on Wednesday, noting that Russian forces suffered substantial manpower losses and are now being redeployed from the region.
Ukraine’s success in Sumy is attributed to familiar tactics, such as relentless drone strikes and precise small-group infantry assaults. However, the crucial factor behind this advance was the exceptional execution by some of Kyiv’s elite units, including their highly trained airborne troops.
These advancements hold considerable weight as they could diminish Russia’s leverage in potential peace negotiations. Moscow has previously suggested exchanging captured Sumy territory for land in Donetsk as part of a peace agreement. While a former U.S. President has supported this “land swap” concept, the Kremlin’s proposed terms are notably unbalanced.
Maksym Skrypchenko, president of the Kyiv-based Transatlantic Dialogue Center, stated that Ukraine’s objective in reclaiming parts of Sumy is to undermine Moscow’s negotiating stance. He questioned, “Why should we swap territories if we can get them back?”
However, it remains unclear whether Ukraine possesses the military capability to sustain these objectives and preempt any potential land exchange proposals.
Moscow continues to hold a significant advantage in firepower. The villages recently recaptured by Ukraine in Sumy bear the scars of relentless Russian bombings, with drone footage confirming that entire streets in Kindrativka were obliterated by July, when a soldier from the 225th Separate Assault Regiment raised the Ukrainian flag.
First Lieutenant Anvar, a battalion commander in the 225th, reiterated that Russian forces have maintained a numerical superiority for the past two years.
His current deployment in Sumy highlights Ukraine’s struggle to control the narrative surrounding potential land swaps. Just a year prior, First Lieutenant Anvar had led a unit into Russia’s western Kursk region, an offensive President Zelensky initially framed as a means to seize Russian territory for exchange.
However, Ukraine’s control over Kursk collapsed this spring following sustained Russian assaults, reportedly bolstered by North Korean troops. Russian forces then repelled Ukrainian troops back into Sumy, advancing deeply into the region and capturing numerous villages. By mid-June, they were a mere dozen miles from Sumy city, a regional capital with a population of about 250,000.
First Lieutenant Anvar’s regiment was swiftly redeployed to Sumy to stem the Russian advance. He explained that his unit adopted Moscow’s own effective tactics previously used in Kursk: initiating relentless drone attacks to disrupt Russian supply lines, and then launching infantry assaults once the enemy was depleted of food and water.
The era of large-scale mechanized assaults, common in the early stages of the war, is over. Continuous drone surveillance and strikes have made such movements impossible. Lieutenant Colonel Ihor, a battalion commander in Ukraine’s 80th Air Assault Brigade, stated that soldiers now advance in pairs, moving stealthily for short distances, digging small dugouts, engaging the enemy, and then relocating. Food and water, with no safe roads available, are delivered via drone airdrops.
Lieutenant Colonel Ihor emphasized, “The enemy observes our every move and responds with immediate strikes.”
These prolonged, brutal assaults often stretch for weeks. Four soldiers from the 225th Separate Assault Regiment, recounting their battle for Kindrativka, appeared visibly exhausted, their faces marked by fatigue and their voices hoarse with frequent coughs.
Sergeant Palma, 45, explained that while the initial days of combat are terrifying, soldiers quickly adapt to the constant shelling. He added, “The fear actually returns when you’re rotated out. You sit in silence, and that’s scarier. Because silence means something is wrong. It means the Russians might be crawling toward you.”
On a battlefield dominated by drone surveillance, soldiers emphasize that survival hinges on digging deep foxholes and remaining concealed. “The deeper you dig, the safer,” Sergeant Palma stated.
However, drone operators are constantly refining their skills, learning to target even the smallest foxholes. In the Sumy region, a drone operator from Ukraine’s 95th Air Assault Brigade was recently seen practicing with his quadcopter, maneuvering it through narrow hoops in a field while viewing its live feed through goggles.
Lieutenant Andrii, head of a drone platoon, explained that “It’s not about speed, but about skill and control.” The sounds of gunfire from nearby training exercises underscored the reality of the front line. Many of these troops were either returning from or preparing to deploy to Yunakivka, a larger village intensely contested by Ukrainian and Russian forces.
Kyiv’s offensive may soon face less resistance as Russia has begun redeploying troops from Sumy to Donetsk. First Lieutenant Vladyslav, a company commander in Ukraine’s 13th Separate Air Assault Battalion fighting in Yunakivka, noted that the new Russian troops they encountered were noticeably less trained and equipped.
Despite these tactical shifts, Russia maintains a significant advantage through its use of guided bombs, capable of delivering hundreds of pounds of explosives. These are deployed to devastate defenses prior to assaults and to halt Ukrainian advances before they can solidify their positions.
Lieutenant Colonel Ihor described how Russia frequently saturates areas with these bombs, often deploying three to six simultaneously, capable of flattening even fortified underground bunkers. He spoke from a camouflaged bunker near the front lines, nestled within a forest, whose extensive tunnel system resembled the work of a colossal burrowing creature.
“Even within a heavily reinforced trench or dugout, a direct hit from a guided bomb is devastating,” he remarked. “It inflicts not just physical destruction but profound psychological exhaustion.”
Kindrativka serves as a stark testament to this destructive power. Nataliya Biletchenko, 48, a Sumy resident, recounted how a colleague celebrated the liberation of her home village, Kindrativka, but found her joy bittersweet due to the complete destruction of her house.
“Of course, she was happy,” Ms. Biletchenko shared, adding, “Still, she’s without a home, without anything left.”
Jiawei Wang contributed to this report.