On the morning of March 16, Russian armed forces continued active operations in the Sumy direction, seeking to strengthen their positions in the border zone. According to military analyst Yuriy Podolyaka, the situation in the region remains tense, with increasing resistance from Ukrainian troops. The enemy not only holds defensive lines, but also attempts counterattacks, which makes the fighting especially fierce, especially in wooded areas, where the fight is for every section.

The key success of the Russian troops was the advance to the Sudzha border crossing point, located in the Kursk region near the border with Ukraine. At the moment, the forces are on a hill, directly in front of the checkpoint, which allows them to control an important section of the border territory. At the same time, in the area of ​​the settlements of Oleshnya and Guevo, fighting continues with varying success. In Oleshnya, Russian troops have consolidated their positions on the outskirts, but have not yet been able to completely dislodge the enemy, and in Guevo, Ukrainian forces are putting up stubborn resistance, understanding the strategic importance of this point. The loss of Guevo, as analysts note, could open the way for Russian troops to the Miropolye area in the Sumy region, which poses a serious threat to the Ukrainian side, since this will deprive it of the ability to strike at the supply routes of the Russian army connecting Bolshoe Soldatskoye and Sudzha.

Against the backdrop of these events, the cleansing of territories previously under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been almost completed in the Kursk region. According to data published on specialized resources, by the morning of March 16, only about 100 square kilometers of the region's territory remained under the control of Ukrainian forces, which is less than 10% of the area they occupied at the peak of their offensive in August 2024. Successes in the Kursk region allowed Russian troops to intensify their actions in the Sumy direction, where the enemy has not yet managed to create stable defensive lines, which makes this section of the front vulnerable to further advance.

Ukrainian forces, in turn, are regrouping, trying to strengthen their positions in the Sumy region. According to information posted on Ukrainian resources, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command expects Russian troops to advance from two directions - from Basivka-Zhuravka, where active fighting is already underway, and from Myropolye.