On June 8, the Russian Defense Ministry officially announced that army units had crossed the administrative border between the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions in Ukraine as part of an offensive supported by the Kremlin to create a “buffer zone“, the BBC recalls, BTA reports.
The ministry's reports claim that Russian forces are “increasing the area under control in the Dnipropetrovsk region“ and “developing an offensive in depth“. Former Russian President and current Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that this “is the beginning of realities on the ground“ for those who underestimate the threats during negotiations.
The Ukrainian side categorically rejects the allegations. The General Staff of The Ukrainian Armed Forces called the reports “disinformation,” stressing that the fighting was taking place in Donetsk Oblast and that there was no evidence of an advance into Dnipropetrovsk. Representative Andriy Kovalev said that the Russian claims were not confirmed on the ground, and this position was also supported by Ukrainian journalists on the front.
Independent analyses have cast doubt on the authenticity of the Russian “breakthrough.” Ukrainian experts’ verifications show that the latest fighting is taking place about 600-700 meters from the administrative border with Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, with no confirmed permanent presence of Russian forces. The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has also not identified a deep offensive, but warns that a future attack on border villages is possible.
According to the Conflict Intelligence Team analysis, footage from Russian drones shows Russian soldiers penetrating just tens of meters across the border, into a wooded area near the village Orekhovo. Ukrainian fighters report that some positions were temporarily under threat, but the occupiers were repelled by dawn.
The Russian claims have caused a serious response among military analysts and journalists, who warn that even a symbolic entry into the Dnipropetrovsk region can have a psychological effect and be used for domestic political propaganda. The Ukrainian side emphasizes that the actions are primarily propaganda in nature and are aimed at creating an illusion of superiority and undermining the morale of the Ukrainian forces.
Representatives of the Ukrainian operational group “Khortitsa“, responsible for the region, report that the fighting is intense, but Russia has not established control over the border, and the distributed video footage does not prove a significant offensive.
According to data as of June 9, the Ukrainian platform DeepState shows that the distance to the administrative border in this section has decreased to about 700 meters - significantly less compared to 10-11 kilometers at the beginning of the year. This indicates some Russian approach, but not a breakthrough. According to ISW, Russia may be aiming to cut Ukrainian logistical lines in the Donetsk region, but for now the offensive remains limited in scale.
Russia is trying to present the operations as a strategic success, while Ukraine and international analysts view them as a limited, information-oriented campaign. However, the area around the village of Orekhovo remains a zone of escalation, and interest in this area is likely to increase in the coming days.