KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces have halted Russia\u2019s recent advance into the northern Sumy region and have stabilized the front line near the border with Russia, Ukraine\u2019s top military commander said Thursday.<\/p>\n
Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander in chief of Ukraine\u2019s armed forces, said that Ukrainian successes in Sumy have prevented Russia from deploying about 50,000 Russian troops, including elite airborne and marine brigades, to other areas of the front line.<\/p>\n
His claim couldn’t be independently verified, and Russian officials made no immediate comment.<\/p>\n
Russian forces have been slowly grinding forward at some points on the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, though their incremental gains have been costly in terms of troop casualties and armor. The outnumbered Ukrainian army has relied heavily on drones to keep the Russians back.<\/p>\n
Months of U.S.-led international efforts<\/a> to stop the more than three years of fighting<\/a> have failed.<\/p>\n Sumy, the city which is the capital of the Ukrainian region of the same name, had a prewar population of around 250,000. It lies about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the front line. Russia\u2019s push into the Sumy region earlier this year compelled Ukraine to strengthen its defenses there.<\/p>\n A special defense group has been formed to improve security in Sumy and surrounding communities, Syrskyi said. It’s focusing on improving fortifications and accelerating construction of defensive barriers.<\/p>\n In March, Ukrainian forces withdrew from much of Russia\u2019s neighboring Kursk region, parts of which they had controlled after a surprise cross-border attack<\/a> in August.<\/p>\n That retreat enabled Russia to launch a counteroffensive that advanced between 2-12 kilometers (1-7 miles) into Ukrainian territory, according to different estimates.<\/p>\n