Ukrainian forces are continuing combat operations near the border village of Grabovske in Sumy Oblast and are working to push Russian troops back into Russian territory, according to a statement from Ukraine’s
Joint Forces Group on Sunday.

The fighting follows reports that Russian forces briefly crossed the border and forcibly removed more than 50 civilians to Russia. We reached out to Russia’s Defense Ministry for comment.

Why It Matters

The renewed fighting highlights growing instability along Ukraine’s northeastern border, an area that had seen relatively limited frontline activity earlier in the war.

Allegations of cross-border incursions and civilian removals raise concerns under international humanitarian law, while competing claims from Kyiv and Moscow underscore the difficulty of independently verifying events in contested border areas.

What To Know

The Joint Forces Group said Ukrainian defenders are “taking measures to force the occupiers back onto Russian territory,” adding that reports circulating online of Russian troops operating in the nearby village of Ryasne are inaccurate.

Earlier, Viktor Trehubov, head of communications for the Joint Forces Group, described the reported Russian border crossing near Grabovske — along with the removal of civilians — as a localized provocation rather than a sustained advance.

On Dec. 21, Dmytro Lykhovii, an officer with the communications department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said Ukrainian units had withdrawn from several positions near Grabovske as part of stabilization measures now underway. He said those taken to Russia were mostly elderly men and women, with the oldest aged 89, and that nearly all had previously refused evacuation deeper into Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Local outlet Border Media reported that the civilians were taken to Russia for so-called “filtration” procedures and cited sources saying Russian units were moving toward the Vysokyi hamlet and the village of Ryasne, though those claims have not been independently verified.

The Institute for the Study of War said Russian forces continued offensive operations in northern Sumy Oblast on Dec. 20 but achieved no confirmed advances, despite claims by Russia’s Defense Ministry and pro-Kremlin military bloggers that Vysoke and Grabovske had been captured.

Explicit caveat: Ukrainian authorities and open-source analysts have not independently verified the current location or condition of the civilians reportedly taken to Russia, nor confirmed Russian troop control of Grabovske or nearby settlements. Russian officials have not publicly acknowledged the incident.

What People Are Saying

The Joint Forces Group said in a statement: “Ukrainian defenders are taking measures to force the occupiers back onto Russian territory.”

Dmytro Lykhovii, an officer with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said those taken were mostly elderly residents who had refused evacuation, according to Ukrainian media reporting.

The Institute for the Study of War said it had observed no confirmed Russian advances in this section of the border as of Dec. 20, despite claims from Russian government sources.

What Happens Next

Ukrainian stabilization operations are ongoing near Grabovske as authorities continue monitoring Russian troop movements along the border. Further updates are expected from Ukraine’s military and independent monitoring groups as fighting continues in northern Sumy Oblast.