Overview

• Russia’s defence ministry said tank units reached the western border of the Donetsk People’s Republic and continued their offensive into Dnipropetrovsk.
• Dnipropetrovsk, a mining and industrial hub with about three million residents, supports Ukraine’s military logistics and economy.
• US officials have cautioned that Russia’s full reprisal for Kyiv’s weekend drone operation is expected within days and may involve missiles and further drone attacks.
• At talks in Istanbul last week, Russia demanded Ukraine pull back frontline troops, end Western arms support and abandon its bid to join NATO.
• Ukrainian forces face a new front in a flat region that has never before seen frontline combat, raising concerns about rapid Russian advances.