Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has reportedly held meetings with officials from Russia’s Kursk region to discuss plans to seize the Ukrainian city of Sumy and annex the wider region as part of a strategy to create a so-called buffer zone. The information was released by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and reported by Ukrainian news agency UNN.
On 20 May, Putin gathered municipal leaders from Kursk, including Pavel Zolotaryov, head of the Glushkovsky district, who urged the dictator to establish a territorial buffer by occupying at least the city of Sumy. In response, Putin asked how many kilometres of Ukrainian land would be required for such a zone. Zolotaryov replied that capturing Sumy itself would be a good start, implying that Russia should expand further into Ukrainian territory.
Alexander Khinshtein, acting governor of Kursk region, added fuel to the fire by declaring a personal connection to Sumy, stating on his Telegram channel that his grandfather was born there and that “this land is not alien” to him. Analysts believe these statements reflect deeper imperial ambitions within the Kremlin, beyond areas Russia has already unlawfully annexed.
Military analysts at ISW argue that Putin’s regime may attempt to use any military gains near Sumy as leverage in future negotiations, trying to pressure Ukraine into surrendering land in exchange for a so-called peace deal. However, they also note that capturing Sumy would be highly unlikely in the short or medium term. The Russian army has repeatedly failed to take much smaller settlements over the last three years of its full scale invasion.
In response to intensified Russian shelling in the region, Ukrainian authorities have been escalating evacuation efforts to protect civilians. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has previously warned that Russia has launched new offensives in multiple directions, identifying Sumy as a key target of these operations.
Past diplomatic efforts have also revealed Russia’s territorial ambitions. During negotiations in Istanbul, Russian delegates threatened to seize both Kharkiv and Sumy regions if Ukraine refused to withdraw its forces from Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Kherson — regions that Russia illegally annexed and falsely embedded into its constitution in 2022.
The ISW concludes that the idea of taking Sumy is part of a broader strategy by the Russian regime to escalate its demands, pressure Kyiv, and secure more territory despite its lack of military success and growing international isolation.
