The ISW assessed that Moscow may now need to abandon or substantially revise its planned operations in Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, or both.
At the same time, Russia is still pressuring Ukraine elsewhere.
Asked Tuesday about increased Russian activity near the Sumy border region in northeastern Ukraine, Zelenskyy told reporters via a WhatsApp chat that Moscow still aims to establish a buffer zone there and in neighboring Kharkiv region — but that Ukrainian forces are holding the line.
“It’s no secret that they want to create a buffer zone in the Sumy region and in the Kharkiv region,” Zelenskyy said. “But we have not abandoned our goals either. We’ve blocked them everywhere. Therefore, there are no risks in the Sumy region at this time.”
He said Ukrainian forces are closely monitoring the situation along the border and defending settlements and infrastructure from Russian attacks, which he said continue to target civilian sites.
The gains come as Russia’s full-scale invasion drags into its fifth year, with Moscow struggling to make significant advances despite committing large numbers of troops to grinding assaults along the front.