Russian troops have been tasked with establishing a buffer zone up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine's military intelligence head Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview with Bloomberg, published on July 11.
Budanov's remarks come as Russian troops continue their offensive in the neighboring Donetsk Oblast, pushing closer to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast — a major industrial region in central Ukraine.
In mid-June, Ukraine's military denied reports that Russian troops had entered the region, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying that Ukrainian troops had intercepted Russian reconnaissance units attempting to breach Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
"It’s not realistic for Russia to seize all of Donetsk Oblast by the end of the year," Budanov said.
According to Budanov, Russia’s earlier announcement of its entry into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast serves a political goal.
Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent)
The Russian Defense Ministry on July 7 claimed to have seized Dachne, which would mark the first village to be under Russian control in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
The Ukrainian military denied the claimed capture, calling it "disinformation."
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast lies further west and has not seen significant Russian incursions, it is frequently targeted with missile, drone, and aerial bomb strikes.
Russian troops have been escalating their assaults in the area and are attempting to breach into the region.
Read also: Dnipropetrovsk village likely contested despite Russia’s claim of its capture
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