President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine visited the Sumy region on Tuesday, maintaining his recent tour of front-line areas affected by Russia’s invasion, as anticipation grows for a possible Ukrainian counteroffensive. Zelenskyy met with officials, locals, and border guards in the region, which experienced partial Russian occupation early in the conflict but has since seen their withdrawal.
Zelenskyy visited Okhtyrka, a city that experienced intense fighting but never fell, and Trostianets, which was occupied for a month before being recaptured by Ukrainian forces on March 26, 2022. The president also went to the Russian border to discuss border protection with guards, as Ukraine reports increased Russian shelling in the Sumy region.
Over the past week, Zelenskyy visited the Kherson, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions, some of which were recaptured from Russian forces last year. Recent Russian attacks have resulted in at least three civilian deaths and 43 injuries.
During his visits, Zelenskyy pledged to rebuild the war-torn areas and honoured soldiers in Trostianets. As the weather improves and Ukraine receives Western-supplied weapons, expectations of a counteroffensive against Russian forces are rising. Germany, Poland, Canada, Norway, and Portugal have delivered Leopard tanks to Ukraine, while the country has also received its first British Challenger 2 battle tanks.
Continuing his visits to war-affected regions, President Zelenskyy expressed support and unity for the affected citizens and emphasized the need for reconstruction. Meanwhile, Russia has increased its production of war materials, and although its long-range bombardment continues, the Iranian-made Shahed exploding drones have caused minimal damage. The Ukrainian military has successfully downed 14 of 15 Shahed drones fired by Russia.
