Russia Intensifies Offensive in Ukraines Dnipropetrovsk Region Amid Stalled Peace Negotiations

On Sunday, Russia announced its first advance into Ukraine’s eastern Dnipropetrovsk region during its ongoing three-year military campaign, marking a notable escalation in territorial ambitions amidst stalled diplomatic negotiations.

With a firm grip on the battlefield initiative, Moscow has consistently dismissed requests from Ukraine, European nations, and U.S. President Donald Trump for a comprehensive and unconditional ceasefire.

During recent discussions in Istanbul, Russia insisted that Kyiv withdraw its forces from the frontline, cease all Western arms support, and abandon its aspirations of joining the NATO military alliance.

Although Dnipropetrovsk has not been formally claimed by Russia like five other Ukrainian regions, it remains a critical industrial and mining center for Ukraine. Further incursions by Russian forces could significantly impact Kyiv’s faltering military capabilities and economy.

Prior to the onset of the conflict, Dnipropetrovsk had an estimated population of roughly 3 million, with around 1 million residing in the regional capital, Dnipro.

The Russian Defense Ministry stated that a tank unit had successfully “reached the western border of the Donetsk People’s Republic and continues to push forward in the Dnipropetrovsk area.”

This latest Russian advance into another Ukrainian territory represents both a significant symbolic and strategic setback for Kyiv after enduring months of difficulties on the front lines.

Ukraine had no immediate response to Russia’s claims.

In 2022, Russia declared it was annexing the frontline regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia, even though it did not fully control these areas.

Following a pro-EU uprising in Kyiv in 2014, Russia seized the Crimean peninsula.

In the most recent round of peace negotiations, Moscow demanded official acknowledgment that these regions belong to Russia—a condition Kyiv has categorically rejected.

The three-year offensive has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, displacing millions and laying waste to numerous cities and villages in eastern Ukraine through relentless aerial bombardments and ground fighting.

Until now, Ukraine has not had to confront combat within the boundaries of the Dnipropetrovsk region during over a decade-long conflict with Kremlin-supported separatists and the Russian military.

Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and current deputy chairman of the national Security Council, indicated that this new military push serves as a warning to Kyiv to acquiesce to Russia’s terms in peace talks.

“Those who refuse to acknowledge the realities of war during negotiations will encounter new realities on the battlefield. Our armed forces have initiated an offensive in the Dnipropetrovsk region,” he cautioned on social media.

Russian forces released images depicting troops hoisting the Russian flag over the village of Zorya in the nearby Donetsk region.

Ukrainian military officials previously informed AFP that the flat terrain of Dnipropetrovsk could facilitate a rapid Russian advance, with fewer natural barriers or settlements available as defensive positions for Ukrainian forces.

The region, especially the city of Dnipro, has faced ongoing Russian bombardments over the past three years.

In late 2024, Russia utilized Dnipro to test its “experimental” Oreshnik missile, claiming to have targeted an aeronautics production facility.

Earlier on Sunday, local Ukrainian authorities reported one fatality in a village close to the frontline due to an attack.

Additionally, Moscow continued to accuse Ukraine of refusing to accept the return of deceased soldiers’ bodies, following mutual accusations on the two countries’ failure to conduct a prisoner exchange as agreed upon in Istanbul negotiations.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that trains transporting corpses were on their way to the border, with more than 1,200 bodies having arrived on Saturday via refrigerated trucks.

Ukraine clarified that the two nations had never settled on a specific date or time for the exchange of approximately 6,000 corpses.