Russian forces claimed to have captured additional territory in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region shortly after US-mediated peace talks in Miami concluded without any breakthrough.
The Russian Defence Ministry announced late on Sunday that its troops had taken control of the small border village of Potapivka (Russian spelling: Potapovka), further expanding their presence in the area.
For months, Russian units have focused on seizing small pockets of land in Sumy to create a so-called “buffer zone” along the border, potentially as leverage in any future settlement.
Ukrainian forces countered that they were successfully holding back Russian advances and that Moscow had failed to secure any meaningful foothold in the region.
“As a result of determined actions, units of the Northern grouping of forces established control over the village of Potapovka in the Sumy region,” the Defence Ministry stated.
Kyiv had not issued an official response to the latest Russian claim as of Monday morning.
Russia currently controls nearly 20 per cent of Ukraine’s pre-war territory, according to assessments since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Its territorial gains in February 2026 were the slowest in nearly two years, according to data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
In recent days, both sides have intensified strikes on each other’s energy infrastructure, leaving thousands without power amid severe winter conditions.
Russian attacks, involving sustained drone and missile barrages, have caused particularly widespread and extensive damage across Ukrainian regions.
Also read: Russia, Ukraine trade fire as US-mediated talks resume
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