Sumy Region Awaits Russia’s Next Move / hromadske

“Wow, they’re shelling! A KAB is flying toward Khotin. That’s already the second one, holy smokes,” says Mykola Toryanyk, head of the Khotin United Territorial Community, as he watches his tablet.

The KABs are hitting just beyond the village, and drones are flying over Khotin. Even though the Russian border is just 10 km away, Toryanyk continues working in the community he has led since the year 2000.

In addition to Khotin, the territorial community includes 13 more villages. Some of them are already occupied. In six of those villages, there are no people left. In the remaining ones, only 285 residents remain. At the time this report was published, Russian forces were continuing to advance toward Khotin.

Now, in the fourth year of the full-scale war, the residents of the village live in fear that the Russians may once again enter Khotin. In 2022, locals had already seen Russian tanks rolling through the village streets. It was through Khotin, on the night of February 14, that endless Russian columns moved toward Kyiv.

“The people braced like a single spring. Those who couldn’t help just endured. Those who could — helped. There was no panic. People understood everything,” recalls Mykola Toryanyk of the first days of the war.

After failing in the Kyiv region, Russian troops retreated through Sumy region back to Russian territory, not staying long in the area.

Over two years of the invasion, Russian forces continuously shelled the community. When the Kursk operation began in August 2024, locals initially felt more at ease, as Russians were pushed back from the border. But now, says Toryanyk, Russian forces are reclaiming territory, and Khotin is once again under threat.

“Now they’re regaining positions and simply wiping out villages,” the head of the community says.

And Khotin faces more than just shelling.

“Everyone is afraid, but they believe our boys will hold the line. If the situation worsens, 90% will leave. They won’t live under Russian occupation,” Toryanyk predicts.

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