Is the Russian army capturing another region? General Staff and expert name the threats

Despite ambiguous unofficial reports about a supposed breakthrough by the Russian army into the Dnipropetrovsk region (as reported by several Telegram channels), the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine told TSN.ua that, as of today, active combat remains within the boundaries of Donetsk region.

“Fighting continues within Donetsk region. The Russian occupiers are claiming they have entered Dnipropetrovsk region, but this is fake news. Disinformation,” said Andriy Kovalyov, spokesman for the

General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in a comment for TSN.ua today in the afternoon.

Possible Russian plan

Military expert and former Security Service of Ukraine officer Ivan Stupak commented on possible scenarios at the administrative border between Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions, suggesting that the situation might not be so clear-cut.

“Monitoring channels have been showing for several days now that the so-called "gray zone" is right up against the border of Dnipropetrovsk region. Let’s be honest — frontlines don’t align perfectly with administrative borders. I assume the situation might be different — that the occupiers may have entered the area but were destroyed. It could also be a situation similar to what happened in Sumy region, where a Russian incursion was only officially confirmed several days later. But we must already speak with 100% certainty that Russian FPV drones are operating in Dnipropetrovsk region airspace,” the expert stated.

According to Stupak, an incursion into Dnipropetrovsk region may be part of a Russian plan to bypass areas in Donetsk where they have failed to make gains for nearly six months.

“Last fall, the Russian army made a strong push toward Pokrovsk in Donetsk region but stalled out. I believe a decision may have been made that breaking through the defenses there is impossible and that they need to go around. I suspect they may attempt to bypass,” the analyst noted.

Evacuation announced

Meanwhile, Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration Head Serhiy Lysak recently officially announced a second wave of forced evacuation from the Synelnykove area due to the security situation.

“This time, from five front-line settlements of the Mezhova community, seven from Velykomykhailivska, and two from Malomykhailivska. I’ve already signed the corresponding order,” the official said.

He noted that children, along with their parents or legal guardians, are to be evacuated.

“Children should not be under guided aerial bombs and drone strikes. Social services are visiting every household where such families live,” he concluded.

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