Russia said on Sunday its ground forces had entered Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time, a claim the Ukrainian military immediately denied, calling it "misleading propaganda" and stating that fighting was contained within the neighbouring Donetsk region. Contents BROADER OFFENSIVE AND KREMLIN DEMANDSPRISONER EXCHANGE TENSIONS The Russian defence ministry announced that units of its 90th Tank Regiment had crossed the western administrative border of the Donetsk oblast into the adjacent region. A potential Russian incursion into Dnipropetrovsk would be significant, as it is one of Ukraine's most populous regions and serves as a critical logistics hub for the Ukrainian army. In response, Ukraine's Defence Forces in the South stated that the situation remained under control and that its troops were holding their positions. Separately, the Russian military announced it had taken control of the town of Zarya in Ukraine's Donetsk region. In its daily briefing, the defence ministry said: "As a result of active and decisive actions by units of the Southern forces, the town of Zarya in the Donetsk People's Republic was liberated." Although a Russian advance to the border of Dnipropetrovsk could be symbolic, its forces remain more than 140 kilometres (87 miles) from the city of Dnipro, the regional capital, which is protected by natural terrain, including the Dnipro River. Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city. The Dnipropetrovsk region itself contains strategic industries, including steel, coal and machine-building. In recent days, some estimates had placed Russian forces approximately two kilometres from the region's administrative border. BROADER OFFENSIVE AND KREMLIN DEMANDS The claim comes as Russia makes incremental gains in Ukraine's far northeast, moving the conflict into territories that Moscow has not officially declared an intention to annex. Russian President Vladimir Putin remains committed to his objectives in Ukraine, resisting efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to bring him to the negotiating table. Putin continues to demand that Kyiv cede the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, which Russia annexed in 2022 despite not fully controlling them, along with the Crimean Peninsula, which it annexed in 2014. Russia's previously slow-moving ground war has seen a relative acceleration recently. Units are reportedly approaching the regional capital of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine. Parts of the Sumy region were occupied during Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 before being retaken by Ukraine in a counter-offensive. Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia's renewed focus on the Sumy region "was not a surprise to the Ukrainian military, which is doing everything possible to repel the attack." The regional governor confirmed on Sunday that there was no need to evacuate residents, according to Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne. PRISONER EXCHANGE TENSIONS Separately, tensions persist between Ukraine and Russia over the details of a major prisoner exchange deal agreed upon during talks in Turkey last week, which is expected to be implemented in the coming days. Zelenskyy suggested that if Moscow fails to adhere to agreements even on humanitarian issues, it would cast doubt on the viability of international efforts to resolve the conflict, including diplomatic initiatives by the United States. His comments followed accusations from Russian officials a day earlier that Ukraine had postponed the latest prisoner exchange indefinitely, a claim a Ukrainian official denied. In his video address, Zelenskyy said that "Ukraine has not yet received the full list of prisoners who will be released under the agreements reached during talks in Turkey." "As always, even in these matters, the Russian side is trying to play some kind of dirty political and media games," he added. "The important thing is to get a result, to ensure that these people are returned home, and we will do our best to achieve this." Zelenskyy also warned Ukrainians to remain vigilant about air raids. "In the coming days, we must pay attention to the air raid warnings," he said. "Take care of yourselves, take care of Ukraine."
