Kateryna Hirnyk14:09, 13.06.25

The Russians are using small assault units to find weak spots and break through Ukrainian lines.

As part of the summer offensive, Russian troops crossed the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region – for the first time in three years of the war, indicating a change in the dynamics of hostilities, writes The New York Times .

Ukrainian officers fighting in the area told the publication that small groups of Russian soldiers began moving from Donetsk region to Dnipropetrovsk region last weekend. A combat map compiled by the Washington Institute for the Study of War now shows that Russian troops have established themselves in the area.

At the same time, Russia is unlikely to try to seize the new region, and has already stated in the past that it has no intention of doing so.

“Instead, military analysts and Ukrainian soldiers view the offensive as symbolic — aimed at undermining Ukrainian morale by invading a new region — and strategic, designed to strengthen defenses in neighboring areas,” the NYT writes.

An officer with the call sign “Barbarossa” from Ukraine’s 72nd Brigade, which is currently repelling Russian attacks on Dnipropetrovsk, told the publication that Russia has amassed “a lot of forces” in the area and that he expects them to advance deeper into the region.

At the same time, Ukrainian officers said that Russian troops have advanced a maximum of a few tree lines deep into Dnipropetrovsk and have not yet captured a single settlement. It is still unclear whether they will be able to consolidate their advance, take advantage of the breakthrough and advance deeper into the region, the publication notes.

As the NYT points out, if Russia seizes a significant part of the Dnipropetrovsk region, it could complicate Ukraine’s position in any negotiations on the exchange of territories.

“Control of the border zone between Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions will also give Russia a stronger foothold to complete the capture of Donetsk region, about 70% of which it already controls. In particular, it will facilitate the offensive on Pokrovsk, which it has so far failed to capture.”

The advance also underscores Russia’s slow but steady success on the battlefield, the NYT notes. As the article notes, Russian forces have now moved from the “meat grinder” tactics demonstrated in the Battle of Bakhmut to a more adaptive strategy, using small assault units to find weaknesses and break through Ukrainian lines.

“The enemy uses the tactics of small groups – two to four, sometimes six soldiers, moving from tree line to tree line or from building to building,” Barbarossa said.

(C)UNIAN 2025