Zelensky raises alarm: Russia is massing 50,000 troops on Ukraine's northern border

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia has massed 50,000 troops near Ukraine's northern Sumy region.

According to foreign media, the Ukrainian leader said that the Kremlin's "strongest forces" are currently on the front line in Kursk, in western Russia, adding that he believed Russia wanted a buffer zone of about six miles.

But he added that Kiev had taken steps to prevent Moscow from carrying out a large-scale offensive there.

"Their largest and strongest forces are currently on the Kursk front to push our troops out of the Kursk region and prepare offensive actions against the Sumy region," Zelenskyy told reporters.

Sumy lies across the border with Russia's Kursk region, where Ukraine had previously occupied and held a piece of land for months, before being almost completely driven out last month.

Russia has occupied at least four border villages in the region recently and has attempted to send signals, with reports that its troops are preparing for a summer offensive in Ukraine. (A2 Televizion)