Reports indicate that Russian forces have seized control of four border villages in Ukraine's Sumy region, which is adjacent to Russia's Kursk region. Ukrainian forces had previously captured territory there. This move comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent announcement about establishing a buffer zone along the border to prevent further Ukrainian incursions. Although there has been a slight decrease in the recent Russian bombing campaign, Moscow's invasion shows no signs of abating, and peace negotiations have not yielded any significant breakthroughs. The only concrete outcome from recent direct discussions has been a substantial prisoner exchange. The US special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, has not yet received the promised memorandum from Putin, which was intended to outline a potential peace agreement framework. Amidst large-scale bombardments, a noticeable reduction in drone attacks from Russia was observed from Monday to Tuesday. Meanwhile, Russian forces are attempting to advance further into Sumy, while Ukrainian forces are striving to maintain their positions.