Ukraine's top general says Russia stepping up effort to attack Sumy region

KYIV (Reuters) -Russian forces are stepping up attacks along Ukraine's northeastern border in a bid to break into the Sumy region, Kyiv's top general said on Thursday.

Sumy borders Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have been all but pushed out of Russian territory they captured in a cross-border offensive last August.

Oleksandr Syrskyi, while visiting units in the Sumy region, said his troops were conducting defensive and assault operations to retain a buffer zone inside Kursk.

"Our soldiers continue to conduct a defensive operation to prevent the enemy from breaking deep into Ukrainian territory," he added on Facebook.

Syrskyi's comments followed a fresh warning by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, published in Le Figaro late on Wednesday, that Russia was preparing a spring offensive against the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.

A spokesman for Ukraine's border guard told Ukrainian media on Wednesday that Russian sabotage groups had stepped up cross-border raids into the Sumy region.

Zelenskiy was in Paris on Thursday to discuss with Kyiv's allies how they could play a role if a peace deal is struck with Russia.