The “Thousand Cuts” Tactic: How the Kremlin is using Sumy Oblast to exert political pressure on Ukraine and the United States

The situation in the border areas of Sumy Oblast has escalated. On the night of December 20, Russian units entered the village of Grabovskoye in the Krasnopilska municipality, located just 200 meters from the Ukrainian border.   

The border breach in Sumy Oblast is an act of political pressure on both Ukraine and the United States. Putin is thus attempting to impose his own scenario: if Ukraine does not make territorial concessions, Russia will expand the military offensive. I am convinced that with such actions, Russia is primarily trying to exert political pressure on the Ukrainian leadership. 

Note that the breakthrough in Sumy Oblast, that is, the expansion of the combat zone, is occurring precisely at the same time as meetings between representatives of the Russian Federation and the United States. Furthermore, negotiations between Ukrainian and US representatives are intensifying. This is yet another provocation by the Russian Federation, precisely at a time when negotiations are intensifying. It is an element of military pressure on both Ukraine and the United States.

Let us recall that prior to this, the Russian dictator stated that he had given orders for the Russian army to take appropriate actions, allegedly to achieve all the objectives of the “special military operation.”

In other words, it is effectively saying that the Russian Federation, with such actions, is torpedoing the efforts of both the Ukrainian and American sides to achieve peace. The Russian Federation is making it clear that if Ukraine does not agree to territorial concessions, namely the withdrawal of Defense Forces units from the controlled areas of the Donetsk region, then Russia will expand the theater of military operations to include territories not included in the occupying power. These primarily include the Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv regions.

The enemy will use this section of the front as part of a “thousand cuts” tactic. That is, to divert the attention of the Ukrainian General Staff from the main axis of the Russian offensive – the Donetsk region.

The village of Grabovskoye and the Krasnopolskoye community are located directly on the border with the Russian Federation.

The invaders made a breakthrough into this very settlement, which is actually located on the conventional state border between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. This is no coincidence.

The DeepState analytical project reports that a group of Ukrainian fighters holding a border area in the village of Grabovskoe in the Sumy region were careless in their duties, which led to Russian forces entering the area.

Let me explain the situation and why this breakthrough was possible. Deploying significant units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces within the enemy’s fire range—even mortars, let alone cannon and rocket artillery—is impractical. The ability to construct a layered defense line is also limited. As a reminder, the village is located just 200 meters from the Ukrainian state border. This is precisely why a breakthrough by the Russian occupiers and the capture of civilians as hostages is possible.

As a reminder, after Russian forces captured the village of Grabovskoye in Sumy Oblast, Russian troops captured 52 civilians and 13 Ukrainian Defense Forces service members. They were forcibly transported to the Russian Federation. These were primarily older men and women, one of whom was 89 years old. 

According to Vladimir Babich, Deputy Chief of the Sumy Special Operations Department, 87,500 people, including 8,700 children, have been evacuated. These measures are being implemented on a regular basis. Currently, 32,000 people remain evacuated in border areas, including 604 children.

Please note that the residents taken hostage had previously refused to evacuate from this settlement.

Thus, the occupiers deliberately carried out a provocation, knowing full well the presence of civilians and the absence of Ukrainian Defense Forces units in the area. This is evidence that the Russian side exploited this situation solely as a pretext for information and political gain.

There is no military rationale for carrying out this operation.

It should be noted that statements by a number of media outlets about the alleged “tactical successes” of the occupiers in the direction of the village of Ryasne in the Sumy region do not correspond to reality. 

This information has already been refuted by both the Ukrainian Defense Forces and other officials. Therefore, it should be emphasized once again that the concept of information hygiene is one component of the war unleashed by the Russian Federation.

Fighting continues in the village. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are making every effort to drive the occupying forces back into Russian territory.

Ukrainian military forces are urging residents of border areas to evacuate. Local authorities are currently  Organized the evacuation of civilians. According to reports from the scene, more than 30,000 people have already been evacuated, while another 5,700 (including 38 children) refused.