by Temitope Oladeji
08/6/2025
Russia announced on Sunday that its forces had entered Ukraine’s eastern Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time since the full-scale invasion began over three years ago, signaling a major escalation in the conflict amid stalled peace negotiations.
The claim, if confirmed, would represent both a symbolic and strategic setback for Ukraine, which has struggled to regain momentum on the battlefield in recent months.
On Sunday evening, Kyiv’s top political and military leaders had not publicly responded to Moscow’s statement.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said troops from a tank unit had “reached the western border of the Donetsk People’s Republic and are continuing to develop an offensive in the Dnipropetrovsk region.”
While Dnipropetrovsk is not among the Ukrainian regions Russia has formally annexed, such as Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea, its capture would mark a significant territorial advance.
Ukraine’s southern military command acknowledged intensified Russian activity near the region, stating:
“Russia does not give up its intentions to enter the Dnipropetrovsk region, but our fighters are bravely and professionally holding their section of the frontline.”
Despite ongoing negotiations, Russia has maintained a hardline stance, repeatedly rejecting calls from Ukraine, the European Union, and U.S. President Donald Trump for a complete and unconditional ceasefire.
Ongoing talks between Kyiv and Moscow have failed to produce any breakthroughs.
At the last round of peace talks held in Istanbul on June 2, Russia demanded Ukraine formally recognize the annexation of the five occupied regions with an ultimatum Kyiv continues to reject.
Ukrainian negotiators said Russia warned it would escalate its military campaign if its demands were unmet.
The war, now in its fourth year, has left tens of thousands dead, displaced millions, and turned much of eastern Ukraine into a war-torn landscape scarred by airstrikes and ground battles.