Russian troops push into Ukraine's Sumy region

In this live blog the latest news about the war in Ukraine and the developments to bring the fighting to an end.

War in Ukraine: In Sumy, near the front, residents keep faith in their army

The front line is slowly but steadily approaching this city, shaken by explosions and incessant air raid alerts. Yet, the majority of its 250,000 residents refuse to abandon it.

The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that units of the North Battle Group liberated Basovka in the Sumy region, which represents a crucial step towards controlling the strategic routes between Kursk and Sumy. In addition, Russian forces defeated several Ukrainian brigades near the settlements of Gornal, Guyevo and Oleshnya in Kursk, demonstrating their military superiority in the area. READ Russia also liberated eight new localities in the D…

Ukrainians: 'It's false'. Zelensky sends a team to the US for minerals (ANSA)

The Russian military has launched a group strike using long-range air and sea-launched precision weapons and drones on the central artillery weapons base of the Ukrainian armed forces. The Russians also attacked drone assembly plants and captured the settlement of Bashivka in Sumy region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

This region had been partially occupied at the beginning of the Russian offensive three years ago, but Russian troops had withdrawn in the spring of 2022.