Russian Z-military correspondents and propaganda outlets claimed their forces crossed from Donetsk into Dnipropetrovsk region near Novomykolayivka, posting a photo of Russian soldiers beside a pickup truck entangled in barbed wire as evidence.
Ukrainian DeepState analytical project, reportedly linked to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, refuted this claim. According to DeepState, the photo was actually taken near Troitske, where Ukrainian soldiers’ vehicle became entangled in barbed wire overnight. Russian troops allegedly discovered the vehicle in the morning, took photos with it, and were later eliminated by Ukrainian forces.
“The pickup belonged to Ukrainian troops who got stuck in the wire overnight. By morning, Russian soldiers reached the site, took pictures, and were subsequently neutralized,” DeepState reported on Telegram.
Serhiy Lysak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Administration, also rejected Russia’s claim as fabricated.
“It’s a fake — both the so-called ‘news’ and the photo supposedly proving it,” Lysak wrote on Telegram. “They don’t reflect reality and were deliberately published by the enemy to frighten our residents, sow panic, and destabilize the situation.”
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast has not seen active combat to date. However, since early April, Russian forces have advanced westward from Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast. The most intense fighting is around Udachne, where Ukrainian forces are holding firm. Russia has made limited gains between Uspenivka and Novooleksandrivka, and between Nadiyivka and Zaporizhzhia. Kotlyarivka remains contested or under partial Russian control, just three kilometers from the Dnipropetrovsk border.
Analysts view the Russian advance as more political than strategic.
