Russia claims new advance as Ukraine denies loss in Dnipropetrovsk

Russia said Monday its troops had seized the settlement of Zaporizke in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, a claim Kyiv has denied as the war pushes deeper into central Ukraine.

The Russian defense ministry announced its forces had taken the village, calling it a further step in its three-and-a-half-year offensive. If accurate, the move would mark the first significant Russian incursion into the industrial region, which until July had been largely spared from the heavy fighting seen in Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea.

Ukrainian officials rejected Moscow’s statement, saying Russian troops had not established control in the area.

The claim comes as both sides continue to trade drone strikes. Ukraine reported that more than 100 Russian drones were launched Monday, killing a 37-year-old civilian driver and injuring two others in the northeastern Sumy region. Moscow said Kyiv targeted western Russia with about two dozen drones.

Peace efforts remain stalled. A renewed push by US President Donald Trump to broker a summit between President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Vladimir Putin faltered after Moscow ruled out any immediate meeting last week.

Despite Russia’s claims of new ground, much of the fighting remains concentrated in devastated areas of eastern Ukraine where only scattered buildings and few inhabitants remain.