According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, troops have crossed the border into the centrally located Ukrainian province of Dnipropetrovsk for the first time. This is the first time Russian forces have set foot in Dnipropetrovsk since the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. While Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed this information, an army spokesman stated on Sunday that the situation near the region's border is "tense".
Russia has been steadily advancing towards Dnipropetrovsk in recent weeks. The region had a population of around three million before the war. To protect the population from Russian shelling and airstrikes, Ukraine has decided to evacuate seven villages in the far east of the region.
According to military analysts, capturing a number of villages in Dnipropetrovsk has little strategic value for Russia, but occupying a 'new' province in central Ukraine could have symbolic value. The Kremlin could use these areas as bargaining chips in peace talks with Ukraine.
