Cnn
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Russia said on Sunday that its forces are for the first time growing in the Ukrainian Central region of Dnipropetrovsk, an area it has been trying to reach for months, in a decision that could create new problems for the so stretched forces of kyiv.
The subunits of the 90th Division of tanks of the Russian army reached the border of Dnipropetrovsk with the Donetsk regionOf which large parts are already under Russian occupation, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. After that, they continued in Dnipropetrovsk, said the Ministry of Defense.
The magnitude of the advance is not clear, just like Moscow’s ambitions for the assault. CNN is unable to verify the reports of the battlefield and Ukraine has not confirmed the Russian advance.
But if it was confirmed, the Russian advance would be a setback for the Ukrainian forces when the peace talks have blocked. Russian forces have also produced in recent weeks Northern region of Sumyas well as near Lyman in Donetsk.
The Russian advance would also exert new pressures on the grip of Ukrainians on the city of Pokrovsk, a key center which has been under Russian attack for months. The Ukraine staff said on Sunday morning that its troops had stopped 65 “offensive” actions in the direction of Pokrovsk.
An Institute for the Study of War (ISW) Evaluation of the Russian offensive campaign revealed that Russian forces continued their offensive operations in the direction of Pokrovsk on Saturday, but did not advance.
Dnipropetrovsk is bordered by three regions partially occupied by Russia – Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
One of the declared objectives of Russia is to capture the three regions. He already occupies everything except a fourth region, Luhansk.
Dnipropetrovsk is more not populated and rural than these four regions, known as Donbas, and will be more difficult to defend. It is an important mining and logistical center and had an estimated population of three million before the start of the war.
Russia’s complaint comes a few days after its forces progressed in the northern region of Sumy, bringing the capital of the region within reach of drones and artillery.
While the capture of the capital of the region, also named Sumy, is probably beyond what Moscow manifests, the movement underlines the pressure that kyiv is under, from the northern border to the Black Sea.