Russian Troops Just 15 km From Strategic Tri-Region Border on Southern Frontline of Ukraine

Russian forces are concentrating their offensive efforts on the southern front, aiming to break through toward the administrative border between the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions, according to the Southern Defense Forces of Ukraine.

Speaking on national television, Southern Defense Forces spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn stated that the Zaporizhzhia sector is currently the most active part of the front in the south.

The area is divided into three tactical directions: Orikhiv, Huliaipole, and Novopavlivka. Of these, Novopavlivka has seen the heaviest fighting.

According to Voloshyn, more than 30 combat engagements were recorded in the Novopavlivka direction over the past 24 hours. Russian troops are reportedly attempting to capture several frontline settlements, including Zelene Pole, Vilne Pole, Novopil, Novosilka, and Bohatyr.

“The enemy is trying to advance toward the administrative border of Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions. The distance remaining is approximately 15 kilometers,” Voloshyn said.

Ukrainian defense officials have identified this axis as the most volatile point on the southern front at this stage of the war.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that Ukraine’s drone strike operation on Russian airbases—which targeted 41 aircraft, including strategic bombers—was coordinated from a site located next to a regional FSB headquarters. The year-and-a-half-long operation, known as “Spider Web,” was executed by the Security Service of Ukraine using 117 drones and operators.