Ukrainian regional authorities say Russian forces are making profits in Sumy's northeastern Ukraine, which may be related to Moscow's attempt to establish a "buffer zone" along the border.

Oleh Hryhorov, head of the Sumy region, said Russian troops had occupied four villages and the battle was still near other settlements in the area with the aim of establishing a so-called "buffer zone."

So far, Russia insists on capturing six villages in Sumy.

Last week, its leader Vladimir Putin announced a plan to create a "safety buffer" along the border. "The enemy's shooting points are actively suppressing and work is underway," he said.

Putin said a buffer zone will be created to provide "extra support" to areas bordering the Kharkiv, Sumi and Chernishiv regions of Ukraine.

In a statement on Facebook Monday, Sumy's Hryhorov wrote: "The enemy is continuing to move forward with the goal of building what is called a "buffer zone,"

He added that the villages of Novenke, Basivka, Veselivka and Zhuravka were all occupied.

Kiev has not formally stated that the Russian army is in the Sumi area, and when the BBC contacted the BBC, Hryhorov refused to confirm the information he shared on Monday, saying only the military can comment on frontline activities.

The General Staff’s daily briefing only mentions conflicts and other military activities in the “Kursk direction” – meaning with the Russian border – without naming any specific location.

The Ukrainian army, which coordinates military activities in the region, rejected the BBC's request for comment, indicating that information on the progress of northern Russia is a very sensitive issue for Ukrainian authorities.

However, in a speech Monday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned Russia's "preparation for a new offensive", which was largely interpreted as a reference to the incident in the Sumi area.

Deep State Map is a group that monitors the latest frontline developments in Ukraine, that is, four Ukrainian villages were completely controlled by Russian forces even before the announcement of Hyrhorov.

Roman Pohorily, co-founder of Deep State, said Russian troops have been pushing in these areas since March.

Ukrainian military observer Kostyn Mashovets confirmed this, although he noted that Russia's progress is very slow - about 1 km (0.6 miles) in the past two weeks. Mr Mashovets also said that Moscow recently moved the new unit from Donbas to the Sumy area.

Colonel Vadym Mysnyk, a spokesperson for the ground forces defending the Sumy area, said Russian troops mostly used small groups on motorcycles and off-road vehicles during the attack.

Colonel Mysnyk explained that the movement of larger armored vehicles would be quickly discovered and destroyed by drones. On the battlefield, speed and mobility are crucial.

However, the Sumi area is frequently attacked by Russian air strikes and artillery fires, and the regional government reports that Russia has invested more than 30 guided bombs in the region since Saturday.

One of the biggest attacks was the ballistic missile attack on Sumi City last month, killing 34 people. A few weeks later, the drone hit an intercity bus and killed nine people.

Colonel Mysnyk claimed that Russia will flood with the attitude of residential buildings, hospitals and civilians. Russia denied that it targeted strikes, saying they targeted military targets.

Local authorities said evacuation is underway at 202 settlements near the frontline, which account for one-third of all territorial communities in the region.

Retired colonel and military expert Serhiy Grabskiy agreed that Sumi's progress was part of Moscow's plan to establish a buffer zone.

Grabsky said Russia's main strategic goal is to seize the most intense battles taking place in the Donbas region of the East.

Glaskisky believes that Russia “cannot concentrate its main force in the deep north” given the number of troops they have.

He called the Sumy region a "distraction zone" - because by maintaining pressure in the north, Russia forced Ukraine to spread its resources and weakened the location of key frontline areas.

The U.S.-based War Think Tank Institute also reported that Putin could use any success as a leverage and justification for the new territorial demand as part of future peace negotiations.

However, observers agree that there is no immediate threat in the Sumi area.

Based on its rate of profits in the region so far, it is unlikely that Russian troops will occupy major cities like Sumy, whose population was 250,000 before the invasion.

Mr. Pohorily of Deep State said the Ukrainian army managed to stabilize the frontline. "It has been almost three months since (Russia) started operating in the Sumi area, but they are still in the border area," he said.

Colonel Mysnyk claims that Ukraine has established defense lines across the entire border since 2022 and that at present, they are preparing to stop Russian forces than at the beginning of the Russian invasion.

But if the Kremlin's priority changes, Moscow sends greater power to Sumi, the measures may not last long.