Putin rules out Sumy takeover, warns Ukraine over dirty bombs usage
3 Min Read
Russia President Vladimir Putin said Russia has no plans to seize Sumy but did not rule it out, while criticizing Kiev’s military decisions, and addressing dirty bomb threats
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Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he addresses a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, June 20, 2025 (AP)
While Russia has no current goal of taking control of the Ukrainian city of Sumy, such a possibility is not excluded, according to a statement made by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
Putin stated that while Russia does not currently have the objective of seizing Sumy, he did not rule out this possibility entirely, explaining during the 2025 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) plenary session that the actions of Russian forces in the Sumy region are determined by the ongoing dynamics of the conflict.
"Why are we doing this? Because they pose a threat to us, constantly shelling the border areas. Here you go, this is the result of their absolutely illiterate, unjustified actions," the Russian President emphasized.
The Russian leader further noted that the buffer zone in the Sumy Region extends between eight to twelve kilometers (4.9 to 6.4 miles) in depth, while asserting that Kiev had created difficulties for itself by launching attacks on Russia's Kursk Region.
"With their own hands, they also created a line of combat contact for almost 2,000 kilometers. We had 2,000 kilometers along the line of contact there. And along the border, they also began to create a threat. And more than a thousand, I think, 1,600 kilometers. They pulled all their armed forces apart. It is difficult to imagine more stupidity from a military point of view. They create problems for themselves, you know," Putin added.
Ukraine's possible use of dirty bomb will be its last mistake: Putin
During the session, Putin warned that if Ukrainian authorities were to decide to deploy a dirty bomb against Russia, this would constitute their final and most grave mistake.
Dirty bombs, otherwise known as radiological dispersal devices (RDD) are weapons that combine both conventional explosive materials with radioactive ones, and upon detonation, these bombs scatter radioactive material in the surrounding area.
"This [the use of a dirty bomb against Russia] would be a colossal mistake on the part of those whom we call neo-Nazis on the territory of today's Ukraine. Maybe it will be their last mistake," the Russian President stated.
Putin stated that Russia consistently mirrors all threats directed against it while expressing hope that such a response would not become necessary in the case of Ukraine. "No, thank God, we have no confirmation of such intentions. But we proceed from the fact that someone may have such ideas in their sick imagination," he said.
