**Russia Claims to Capture Border Village in Ukraine**
The Russian Defense Ministry said on March 29 that its troops had taken control of Veselivka, a small village in Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast near the border with Russia.
However, the Ukrainian military has not commented on this claim. The Kyiv Independent tried to reach out to military representatives for more information but couldn’t get any response yet.
**Russia Stepping Up Efforts at Border**
This news comes as Russian forces continue to try and cross into Ukraine in small groups. They are trying to gain a foothold in the northeastern region of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Moscow is preparing to launch a large-scale attack on Sumy Oblast and neighboring Kharkiv Oblast this spring.
**Veselivka: A Tiny Settlement**
Veselivka is a tiny settlement with over 60 people before the war. It lies just across the border from Russia’s Kursk Oblast, where fighting continues despite recent advances by Russian forces.
The village is about 30 kilometers north of the regional center, Sumy.
**Battlefield Situation Unclear**
DeepState, a Ukrainian group monitoring battlefield developments, has marked parts of Veselivka as a “gray zone,” indicating that it’s an area disputed between Ukrainian and Russian forces.