Russia intensifies assaults near Dnipropetrovsk Oblast border, Ukraine's military says
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Russian forces are ramping up their offensive in southern Ukraine in an attempt to breach the administrative border of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces spokesperson, Vladyslav Voloshyn, said on May 13.
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a major industrial and logistical hub, remains untouched by ground incursions but is under growing threat.
Voloshyn said Russian troops continue to use artillery, kamikaze drones, guided aerial bombs, and unguided missiles to attack Ukrainian positions.
"The number of these assault operations is quite high," he said, citing 24 combat engagements in the Novopavlivka direction alone.
Novopavlivka lies in central-eastern Ukraine, roughly 130 kilometers (about 80 miles) southeast of Dnipro, near the tri-border area of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts.
Voloshyn described it as the "most mobile area" on the southern front, where four Russian regiments have concentrated assault units.
"They are trying to break through toward the administrative border of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts," he said, adding that fighting involves small assault groups and constant shelling.
The Russian assaults prompted local authorities on April 28 to begin mandatory evacuations of families with children from four frontline villages: Kolona Mezhova, Novopidhorodne, Raipole, and Sukhareva Balka.
These settlements lie just 5–15 kilometers from Russian positions.
Although Russian troops have not yet entered Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the region has suffered regular missile, drone, and airstrike attacks that have killed and wounded civilians and damaged critical infrastructure.
