Over the course of a week, from May 10 to May 16, 2025, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) actively tried to find weak points in the defense of Russian troops in the Sumy region, a border region that has become the scene of fierce fighting. This was reported on May 17 by TASS, citing military expert Andriy Marochko, who noted that the AFU had concentrated significant forces in the area, including elite units and the nationalist battalion "Aidar", banned in Russia. According to sources, the AFU attacks were aimed at settlements such as Pavlovka, Ryzhevka, Bessalovka and Vodolahy, where Ukrainian troops tried to break through Russian defenses and consolidate new positions.

According to Telegram channels associated with the Russian group of forces "North", the Ukrainian Armed Forces deployed assault regiments, airborne assault units and formations staffed by nationalists in the Sumy region, including the 24th separate assault battalion "Aidar". This battalion, created in May 2014 as a volunteer formation, participated in the fighting in Donbas and was integrated into the Ukrainian Armed Forces, becoming part of the 10th mountain assault brigade in 2016.

Of particular note is the use by the Ukrainian Armed Forces of elite units such as the 82nd and 95th Airborne Assault Brigades, which previously took part in the offensive on the Kursk region in August 2024. According to the Financial Times, these brigades, equipped with Western equipment, including British AS-90 self-propelled guns and American HIMARS MLRS, were transferred to the Sumy region to strengthen positions after the loss of control over Sudzha in March 2025.