Russian forces hit Ukrainian troops in Sumy region with Iskander missile, TASS says

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian forces hit a Ukrainian troop position in the northeast Sumy region with an Iskander missile, state news agency TASS cited the Russian defence ministry as saying on Wednesday.

Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield report, or determine exactly when it took place.

The Russian defence ministry did not provide the date of the strike, but said the area around city of Konotop was targeted.

Ukrainian authorities in the region reported an Iskander missile strike on Konotop on Monday. The local administration said on Facebook that it had damaged flats in several multi-storey buildings and that there were no casualties.

Ukraine in recent days has been trying to drive Russian forces from Sumy region, where border areas are gripped by heavy fighting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on the weekend that Russia has amassed 53,000 troops in the region.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Alex Richardson)