Ukraine Admits Russia Has Advanced Into Crucial Region For First Time

Ukraine admitted Wednesday that a Russian advance has penetrated a crucial region of the nation for the first time as President Donald Trump continues to attempt to broker peace.

Russia has made a major offensive into the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine, despite Ukraine repeatedly denying that Moscow had established any sort of control over the region, Viktor Trehubov from the Dnipro Operational-Strategic Group of Troops told the BBC. Russia has continued to push into Ukraine despite ongoing peace negotiations with Ukraine and the U.S., while Trump has expressed continued frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s seemingly two-faced attitude towards peace in Ukraine.

“This is the first attack of such a large scale in Dnipropetrovsk region,” Trehubov told the BBC.

Trehubov also stressed to the BBC that the Russian advance had been stopped short. Russia claimed throughout the summer that their forces had advanced through the region, while Ukraine had poured cold water on the severity of the offensive.

The Dnipropetrovsk region was previously a key industrial hub for Ukraine before the war. It is also Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s home oblast.

Moscow has not claimed Dnipropetrovsk during their proposals for peace, only publicly demanding the Russian-speaking Donbas region in Ukraine’s far east in exchange for peace. Trump said Monday that he was “very angry” with Putin as Russia continues their offensive campaigns while attending meetings with the president to broker peace.