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Russia claims its forces are now pushing into previously unoccupied regions of Ukraine, with Kyiv claiming the move is part of a wider plan to seize more than half the country by the end of 2026. On Monday, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its 90th Tank Division had reached the western edge of Donetsk Oblast and begun advancing into neighbouring Dnipropetrovsk – a region not included in Moscow’s 2022 annexation claims.
If confirmed, the offensive would mark a major shift, extending Russia’s invasion into previously untouched territory. Kremlin officials said the move was part of the “new realities on the ground” – a phrase repeatedly used by former president Dmitry Medvedev to describe what Russia believes Ukraine must concede in any future peace talks. The announcement follows unverified reports that Russian troops have also entered Sumy Oblast, in Ukraine’s northeast.
Videos circulating online on Monday appeared to show Russian troops crossing into the Dnipropetrovsk region, although the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said it had not seen verifiable geolocation evidence to confirm the claims.
In a further development, Russian military bloggers reported that troops had reached the Donetsk-Dnipropetrovsk border near the village of Horikhove.
