Ukrainian forces have halted Russian troop movements in the northeastern Sumy region and are now engaged in battles along the border, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday.

In remarks released by his office, Zelenskyy stated that Russia has concentrated approximately 53,000 troops in the direction of Sumy. “We are leveling the situation. The fighting is taking place along the border. The enemy has been stopped. The maximum depth of combat is 7 kilometers from the border,” he said.

Russian forces have recently intensified attacks in the northeast, following earlier offensives focused mainly in the eastern Donetsk region. Moscow has declared plans to create a “buffer zone” in both Sumy and Kharkiv regions.

The conflict, now in its fourth year, has escalated in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Ukrainian forces conducted a drone operation that reportedly destroyed several Russian aircraft and struck the Kerch Bridge to Crimea using underwater explosives. In response, Russia increased its airstrikes across Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian defensive lines are holding across more than 1,000 kilometres of the frontline. He also rejected Russian claims that troops had breached the border into the central Dnipropetrovsk region, saying that small Russian units are attempting symbolic incursions for propaganda purposes. “They try to get a foot across the border to film a video or take a picture, but they are being pushed back,” he said.

Dnipropetrovsk borders the Russian-occupied regions of Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. Russia currently controls around 20% of Ukrainian territory.

Zelenskyy acknowledged the limits of military solutions, saying Ukraine cannot liberate all occupied areas by force alone. He renewed calls for stronger sanctions against Russia to pressure Moscow into peace negotiations.

Previous talks, including two rounds held in Istanbul, led only to agreements on prisoner exchanges. Several exchanges have taken place this month, with the latest returning more Ukrainian soldiers from captivity. “We continue to bring our people back. This is the fourth exchange in one week,” Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram.

Officials said many of the freed soldiers had been held since the 2022 battle for Mariupol. Ukraine also received the bodies of 1,200 fallen service members on Friday.

Further exchanges are expected to continue through June 20 or 21, Zelenskyy added.