Ukrainian forces have admitted that Russia's military have crossed into the eastern industrial region of Dnipropetrovsk and are trying to establish a foothold.
This is the first attack of such a large scale in Dnipropetrovsk region, Viktor Trehubov, of the Dnipro Operational-Strategic Group of Troops told the BBC, although he made clear their advance had been stopped.
Russia has claimed throughout the summer that it has entered the area, as its forces try to push deeper into Ukrainian territory from the Donetsk region.
In early June, Russian officials said an offensive had begun in Dnipropetrovsk, although latest Ukrainian reports suggest they have barely breached the regional border.
Any Russian advance into Dnipropetrovsk would be a blow to Ukrainian morale, as a US-led diplomatic bid to end the war appears to be flagging despite President Donald Trump meeting Russia's Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The Ukrainian DeepState mapping project assessed on Tuesday that Russia had now occupied two villages just inside the region, Zaporizke and Novohryhorivka. However, Ukraine's armed forces general staff denied that was the case. The military stated they continue to control Zaporizke, asserting that active hostilities are also ongoing in the area of the village of Novohryhorivka.
Moreover, Moscow has not laid claim to Dnipropetrovsk, unlike Donetsk and Ukraine's four other eastern regions, but it has attacked its large cities, including the regional capital Dnipro.
Before the war, Dnipropetrovsk had a population of over three million and was Ukraine's second largest centre of heavy industry. Although Russian troops have made slow progress and have suffered high casualties, they have achieved recent gains in Donetsk.
In conclusion, Col. Pavlo Palisa, a key military strategist, emphasized that the Kremlin's main objective is to occupy all territories east of the Dnipro River.
