Moscow has deployed more than 67,000 troops on Ukraine’s northern border to prepare an attack on the city of Sumy.

This is according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

While ceasefire negotiations are ongoing, the Russians have launched a spring offensive on several fronts. The number of military operations has doubled in the past week, according to Kiev. This reports The Times. Moscow Times reports something similar, but they too rely only on Ukrainian sources.

Having recaptured almost all of the Kursk region, with the exception of a few villages, the Russians are now focussing on Sumy.

– Today, more than 67,000 Russian soldiers are in the Kursk direction. [Russia] has completed the movement for an attack in the Sumy direction, Zelensky said.

– There are many attacks there. Most of the attacks on average go in that direction.

The Institute for the Study of War also sees movement in the area, but comes to a slightly different conclusion.

Russian forces continue to advance marginally in the Sumy-Kursk oblast border area, but the Russian force in the area is unlikely to be able to launch a major offensive operation against Sumy city in the near term without receiving significant reinforcements.

Sumy town is about 20 miles from the border. Russian troops also invaded the Sumy region in the first weeks after 24 February 2022, but never managed to capture Sumy city.

Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s supreme commander, said on Wednesday that an offensive against the Sumy and Kharkiv regions had «already begun». But small-scale offensives don’t mean you can advance 20 miles and take a relatively large city of 250,000 inhabitants.

How China is participating in the war

Two Chinese nationals are known to have been captured by Ukrainian forces, and Beijing has confirmed the identities of the two. Now Zelenskyj claims that China is participating in the war on the Russian side. According to the Ukrainian president, the Chinese have sent 150 soldiers to Russia to take part in the fighting.

On the 8th of April, Zelenskyj said the following:

– We expect that China is now another country supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine after Iran and North Korea. But there is a difference: The North Koreans fought us on the Kursk front, while the Chinese are fighting on Ukrainian territory.

Zelensky: We expect that China is now another country that supports Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – after Iran and North Korea. But there is a difference: North Koreans fought against us on the Kursk front, while the Chinese are fighting on Ukrainian territory. #standwithukraine pic.twitter.com/oUW9tvHQox

– Anonymous (@YourAnonCentral) April 8, 2025

Zelenskyj suggests that this is also a threat to the rest of Europe.

– Russia’s involvement in this war in Europe, directly or indirectly, is a clear signal that [President] Putin is going to do anything but end the war, said Zelensky.

– This definitely requires a reaction. A reaction from the United States, Europe and everyone in the world who wants peace.

Beijing categorically denies that it has sent soldiers to the area.