Russian forces are seeking to consolidate positions in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, where they have managed to capture small areas, while Moscow is pressuring Kyiv for territorial concessions. They are facing intense resistance from the Ukrainian defenders, who continue to block any significant advance by the invading troops.
After months of fighting, Russian forces have begun systematically crossing the administrative border into Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine's second-largest region, threatening to seize at least five villages.
Military analysts and Ukrainian army spokesmen have differing assessments of the true extent of the Russian advances. Furthermore, official bodies deny claims by the influential platform DeepState that the villages of Zaporizhzhia and Novogeorgievka have been captured.
Small groups, constant attacks
Russia has deployed approximately 100,000 infantry troops to neighboring Donetsk, attempting to infiltrate Dnipropetrovsk with drone support. Russian units do not yet have a solid base in the region, but their small infantry groups continue to attack relentlessly, confirmed Viktor Tregubov, spokesman for the Ukrainian army’s Dnipro command.
These five-soldier units typically avoid direct combat, using trees for cover during the day and anti-drone ponchos at night to avoid detection. For its part, Ukraine responds with kamikaze drones and strategic counterattacks. Faced with the threat of these airstrikes, the Russians avoid the use of tanks and armored vehicles, relying on their numerical superiority in infantry.
Russian advances are not surprising
DeepState analysts note that the Russian advances were not surprising : fighting has been going on for months along the 80-kilometer border between Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk, and several Russian infantry groups have been eliminated before or after crossing.
So far, advances are limited to just a few hundred meters or, in some sections, a few kilometers, totaling approximately 7 km. Ukrainian-controlled zones in Donetsk continue to protect most of Dnipropetrovsk.
These modest moves appear to be more oriented toward political goals than military ones: they seek to strengthen Russia's narrative with Kyiv's international allies, presenting Ukraine's defeat as inevitable and backing territorial demands and other terms that many Ukrainians consider tantamount to surrender.
Donetsk remains the epicenter
Military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko of the Information Resistance Group warned that Russia's momentum in Dnipropetrovsk is waning due to resource constraints and that Russia is no longer able to advance in many parts of the area.
While further advances could allow Russia to cut off key supply routes to the east, experts agree that its primary focus remains on the Donetsk region, where it seeks to capture the entire area.
Moscow is aiming for a decisive battle for Pokrovsk, but faces fierce Ukrainian resistance there. The invading forces also remain bogged down in the ruins of Chasiv Yar and Toretsk after prolonged sieges, unable to advance toward key strongholds such as Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
Increase in displaced persons
Russian attacks in Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk have increased the displacement of civilians. Olena Logvinenko of Caritas Ukraine told EFE that last week, the shelter provided temporary accommodation and basic support to 250 displaced civilians daily, many of them elderly or in poor health, on their way to safer areas.
Previously, the flow was 400 people per day, but it decreased slightly following the opening of two additional shelters and Ukrainian counterattacks near Pokrovsk that halted the Russian advance toward Dobropillia.
Despite these efforts, the situation remains critical. The Russian offensive continues, and bombings of frontline towns and cities continue daily, while Moscow ignores calls for a ceasefire from Ukraine and its international allies.
