Russian forces have reportedly taken full control of the region of Luhansk and a village in Ukraine’s east-central Dnipropetrovsk region, marking the first such advance in the area since the war began, reported Reuters, citing Russian media.

According to Russia’s RIA news agency, pro-Russian official Vladimir Rogov claimed that troops had captured the village of Dachne, located just inside the Dnipropetrovsk region. Ukraine has yet to confirm the loss and has consistently denied that Russian forces have made significant advances in the area.

The claim follows two months of steady Russian gains in eastern Ukraine, with pro-Kremlin sources reporting that Russia has seized approximately 950 square kilometres of territory during that period. If confirmed, the move into Dnipropetrovsk would mark a new phase in Russia’s offensive beyond its previously declared territorial ambitions.

In Ukraine’s northeastern Luhansk region – one of four regions Moscow claims as its own – the Kremlin-appointed governor, Leonid Pasechnik, told Russian television that Russian forces now control “100%” of the territory.

Meanwhile, in the southern Donetsk region, another area claimed by Moscow, Russian-installed authorities reported Ukrainian strikes on the regional capital, killing at least one person.

“The increased intensity of Russian missile attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities is…damaging Ukrainian morale. Without a clear vision of victory — or at least of an end to the war — a sense of hopelessness risks descending over the country,” wrote Gideon Rachman in the Financial Times.

Despite ongoing discussions from both Kyiv and Moscow about potential pathways to peace, Russia continues to report incremental battlefield progress. The Russian Defence Ministry has been announcing the capture of new villages on a near-daily basis in recent weeks.

“The change in mood inside the Ukrainian government is reflected in the urgency with which it is now privately calling for a ceasefire. A year or two ago, such calls would have been regarded as defeatism. Now they are made with increasing insistence in closed-door meetings between Ukrainian and western leaders,” wrote Rachman.

Separately, Russian forces are reportedly pushing into Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, attempting to establish a foothold across roughly 200 square kilometres of territory near the border.

The Ukrainian monitoring group Deep State reported that Russian forces now control approximately 113,588 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory, reflecting a net gain of 943 square kilometres since late April. The figure includes regions annexed by Russia in 2022 but not fully under its control.

“One well-placed official thinks that Russia’s central goal now is to capture Odesa — which Vladimir Putin regards as a historically Russian city. Without Odesa, Ukraine would lose access to its main port,” wrote Rachman.