On Friday, Russia’s military reported that its forces seized another village in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, where attacks from Moscow have intensified in recent weeks.

The Defense Ministry announced that Russian troops have gained control over the village of Yablunivka, situated approximately nine kilometers (five miles) from the Russian border. This move is part of an initiative to establish what President Vladimir Putin refers to as a “buffer zone” within Ukrainian territory.

This territorial advance occurs as Moscow continues to dismiss ceasefire proposals, insisting instead that Ukraine surrender more land and renounce Western military assistance as preconditions for peace.

Initially, Russia attempted to capture Sumy, the regional capital, during the early phase of its 2022 invasion but was pushed back by Ukrainian defenses later that year.

In 2024, Kyiv launched a counteroffensive into Russia’s southwestern Kursk region, using Sumy as a base of operations. Following Russia’s reclamation of land in Kursk earlier this year, Putin commanded a renewed offensive into northeastern Ukraine.

Additionally, on Friday, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported the capture of two more villages in the eastern Donetsk region, an area that Moscow claims to have annexed.