Russia's Ghost Riders Are Storming Sumy—and They're Not Meant to Come Back
Small groups, motorcycles, reconnaissance by fire—Russia’s textbook opening move
Russian troops are piling onto motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles and attacking in small groups in Sumy Oblast in northern Ukraine. But the shift to smaller, lighter assault groups doesn’t mean the Russians are losing momentum in Sumy.
In fact, they may be preparing to march farther south—toward the city of Sumy itself.
In late May, a powerful Russian force—50,000 troops plus hundreds of vehicles—rolled toward the border and into Sumy Oblast, reversing modest Ukrainian gains along the border region. Two weeks later, the Russians had captured several border villages in a 150-square-kilometer pocket.
Sumy lies just 20 kilometers to the south.
As the offensive grinds on, the Russians’ assault tactics have begun to shift.