Russian forces are attempting to push into a new Ukrainian region, Moscow said.

Moscow’s defence ministry said forces from a tank unit had “reached the western border of the Donetsk People’s Republic and are continuing to develop an offensive in the Dnipropetrovsk region”.

DeepStateMap, a Ukrainian open-source intelligence map monitoring the front line, suggested Russian forces were around 100 metres from the border near the town of Horikhove.

Russian advances in Ukraine accelerated in May after a slower winter campaign, according to analysis of the frontline.

Vladimir Putin’s troops seized 507 sq km of Ukrainian territory last month, up from 379 sq km in April and 240 sq km in March. The gains were concentrated in the eastern Donetsk region, which borders Dnipropetrovsk.

The renewed

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