Dnipropetrovsk Under Fire but No Confirmed Russian Ground Gains, Kyiv Refutes Moscow’s Claims

Russia has claimed that its ongoing operations in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk Oblast are part of efforts to establish a so-called "buffer zone" inside Ukrainian territory. The statement came from Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on June 9, as reported by Russian state-controlled media. His comments echo previous claims by Moscow regarding Ukrainian regions such as Donetsk, which Russia declared annexed in September 2022.

The rhetoric from the Kremlin follows a recent uptick in Russian military activity in Donetsk Oblast, as well as a statement made by Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 22, in which he asserted that Moscow aimed to create a "security buffer zone" along Ukraine’s borders with Russia’s Kursk, Bryansk, and Belgorod regions.

Ukrainian authorities have strongly denied the reports suggesting that Russian forces have entered Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. On the morning of June 9, Andrii Kovalenko, who heads Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, stated that Peskov’s remarks and other Russian narratives about an offensive in the oblast were not grounded in fact.

According to Ukraine’s Operational Command South, Russian forces have made attempts to penetrate into Dnipropetrovsk, but the situation is described as "tense" rather than indicative of any meaningful advance. This came after Russia’s Defense Ministry asserted on June 8 that its troops had entered the oblast - a claim quickly dismissed by Ukrainian officials.

Viktor Trehubov, a spokesperson for the Khortytsia group of Ukrainian forces, also disputed the Russian reports in comments to CNN. He emphasized that there had been no breakthroughs by Russian troops from the directions of Pokrovsk or Novopavlivka, where the territories of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk meet.

Although Donetsk has been the epicenter of Russian military aggression since 2014, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast has not experienced confirmed ground incursions. In May, Ukraine rejected similar Russian claims, including alleged evidence that was ultimately proven to be falsified photographs.

Nevertheless, Dnipropetrovsk has been a frequent target of missile and drone strikes during the full-scale war. In April, local authorities ordered mandatory evacuations from four front-line villages in the oblast as a preventive measure.