Russia has reportedly carried out its largest transfer of military equipment from occupied Crimea and the Kherson region toward the Sumy sector, according to Petro Andryushchenko, advisor to the exiled mayor of Mariupol.
“We are recording a massive and the largest transfer of military equipment from Crimea and the Kherson region,” Andryushchenko wrote on Telegram, along with a video showing a convoy of military vehicles.
Kyiv Post was unable to independently verify the location or time of the footage.
According to the report, the convoy included over 10 self-propelled artillery units, one air defense system, and more than 40 trucks carrying ammunition and personnel.
“The Russians moved through Mariupol toward Novoazovsk, then to Taganrog, transporting a large volume of equipment and manpower,” Andryushchenko said.
He added that the equipment was then loaded onto trains and, based on underground sources, transferred to Russia’s Kursk Oblast – essentially toward the Sumy sector.
He also revealed a distinctive tactical marking on the vehicles: a triangle within a triangle.
“This is the largest transfer in the past six months and the first of this scale since the beginning of the full-scale war. What’s particularly surprising is that they are bringing in self-propelled guns in ‘new’ condition from Crimea. We’re looking into it,” Andryushchenko added.
Russian troops have advanced south to within 18 miles of the city of Sumy, the capital of Ukraine’s northeastern region that was fully liberated early in the full-scale invasion.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and independent observers confirmed the advance, with Russian forces reportedly moving west of Mala Korchakivka and toward Varachyne and Khotin. Fighting has also been reported near Yunakivka and Yablunivka.
Observers have also confirmed Russian claims of retaking Loknia, a village liberated by Ukraine in 2022.
Sumy, 200 miles northeast of Kyiv, has never been occupied during 11 years of war. Last month, President Volodymyr Zelensky warned of 50,000 Russian troops massing near the border.
As of May 31, 213 towns and villages in the Sumy region have been evacuated, with the regional governor ordering mandatory evacuations in 11 more settlements.
Before that, the ISW reported that Russian forces appear to be pushing toward the Khotin-Khrapivshchyna line, about 12-15 kilometers from Sumy City, potentially putting it within range of conventional artillery.
Russian officials have repeatedly called for creating a “buffer zone” in the region, possibly setting the stage for a broader offensive. However, ISW assesses that Russia is unlikely to capture Sumy in the near or medium term, adding that Russian forces haven’t taken a major Ukrainian city since July 2022.
And that was before the Kremlin troops lost a large Ukrainian city when the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) liberated and de-occupied Kherson in November 2022.
During Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s purported visit to Kursk Oblast on May 20, local officials floated the idea of seizing Sumy. In what ISW called an “undoubtedly orchestrated” exchange, officials suggested the buffer should extend as far as Sumy City, with Putin showing apparent interest.
