KYIV — Russia now controls four border villages in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, regaining a small part of territory that was liberated by Kyiv’s forces in 2022.

“The enemy controls the Sumy region’s Novenke, Basivka, Veselivka, and Zhuravka villages. Residents of those villages were evacuated long ago, so there’s no threat to the civilian population there,” Oleh Hryhorov, head of Sumy’s regional military administration, said in a statement.

The Russian army continues attempts to progress in the frontier region to create a so-called buffer zone, he added, which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced as a Kremlin priority last week.

In a rare recognition of Russia’s advances in Sumy, Hryhorov said that fighting continues on the outskirts of five more local villages.

“We can see from the information obtained by intelligence that Putin and his entourage do not plan to end the war. There is currently no indication that they are seriously considering peace or diplomacy,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an evening address to the nation on Monday.

“On the contrary, there is ample evidence that they are preparing new offensive operations. Russia is counting on a prolonged war. And on their part, this is a blatant disregard for all those around the world who seek peace and are trying to make diplomacy work,” Zelenskyy added.