The Russian army has on Monday, August 25, 2025, said its troops had seized another village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region.
Russia’s defence ministry announced that its forces captured Zaporizke, a small settlement in the region.
The claim comes as Moscow pushes deeper into Ukrainian territory while peace efforts remain frozen.
The ministry described it as part of a steady advance in its three-and-a-half-year offensive.
The battle for the area has been costly, with entire villages reduced to rubble and few residents left.
Kyiv quickly denied the Russian claims.
Ukrainian officials insisted Moscow had not gained a foothold in the Dnipropetrovsk region, a vital industrial hub that has largely been spared from the heavy fighting seen in Donetsk, Kherson, and other fronts.
The latest claim highlights Moscow’s focus on expanding the war beyond areas it has already declared as Russian territory.
So far, Russia has annexed five Ukrainian regions Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea. Dnipropetrovsk is not among them.
The fighting comes amid new international pressure to revive peace talks. US President Donald Trump pushed again for a summit between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.
However, Moscow last week rejected any immediate meeting, dimming hopes of dialogue.
Meanwhile, Ukraine reported fresh Russian drone strikes.
Officials in Sumy said over 100 drones launched by Moscow killed a 37-year-old civilian driver and wounded two others.
Russia also accused Kyiv of firing two dozen drones at western Russian targets.
Despite global calls for peace, the war grinds on with no clear breakthrough in sight.
The Dnipropetrovsk advance marks another dangerous escalation, as both sides dig in for a long fight.