Russia shells 9 communities in Sumy Oblast.

Russian forces attacked border areas and settlements of Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast on Dec.

7, firing 17 times and causing at least 61 explosions, the local military administration reported via Telegram. The Russian military struck the communities of Krasnopilla, Bilopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Seredyna-Buda, Khotin, Yunakivka, Mykolaivka, Esman, and Shalyhyne using artillery, mortar, and drone attacks, while also dropping mines on multiple settlements. No casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure was reported.

The community of Bilopillia, home to roughly 15,600 residents, experienced the highest number of explosions - 14 - from both mortar and FPV drone shelling. The town is located about 10 kilometers away from the Russia-Ukraine border. Some 18 settlements in Sumy Oblast have been abandoned by residents due to constant, daily attacks by Russian forces.

Parts of the region had been briefly occupied by Moscow in the first weeks of the full-scale invasion.

In heavily shelled Kupiansk, some choose to stay despite constant risk of killing (PHOTOS)

Editor's Note: The last names of some of the people interviewed for the story are not disclosed due to security reasons.

KUPIANSK, KHARKIV OBLAST - Just 40 kilometers away from the Russian border, in Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv Oblast, stands a small town scarred by months of occupation and ongoing