Russia claimed Sunday that its forces are for the first time pushing into the central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk, an area it has been trying to reach for months, in a move that could create new problems for Kyiv’s much-stretched forces.
Subunits from the Russian military’s 90th tank division reached the border of Dnipropetrovsk with the Donetsk region, large parts of which are already under Russian occupation, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. After this, they continued into Dnipropetrovsk, the defense ministry claimed.
But if confirmed, the Russian advance would be a setback for Ukrainian forces at time when peace talks have stalled. Russian forces have also in recent weeks made incremental progress in the northern Sumy region, as well as near Lyman in Donetsk.
The Russian advance would also put further pressure on the Ukrainians’ grip on the town of Pokrovsk, a key hub that has been under Russian assault for months. Ukraine’s General Staff said Sunday morning that its troops had stopped 65 “offensive” Russian actions in the Pokrovsk direction.
An Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessment of Russia’s offensive campaign found that Russian forces continued their offensive operations in the Pokrovsk direction on Saturday, but did not advance.
Dnipropetrovsk is bordered by three regions that are partially occupied by Russia – Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
One of Russia’s declared goals is capturing all three regions. It already occupies all but a slither of a fourth region, Luhansk.
Dnipropetrovsk is more sparsely populated and rural than those four regions, known as the Donbas, and will be more difficult to defend. It is an important mining and logistics center and had an estimated population of three million before the war began.
Russia’s claim comes days after its forces advanced further in the northern Sumy region, bringing the region’s capital within range of drones and artillery.
While capturing the region’s capital city, also named Sumy, is likely beyond what Moscow is setting out to do, the move underlines the pressure Kyiv is under, from the northern border to the Black Sea.