Ukraine Liberates More Territory, This Time In Dnipropetrovsk

A recurrent theme is emerging this fall. Ukrainian forces are not only holding their own across the most embattled sectors of the front, but are opportunistically retaking ground consistently across multiple regions.

The lesson is that Russia is now largely a spent force militarily, incapable of launching significant offensives and not always able to defend what it holds. The terror bombing of children's hospitals and apartment blocks remains its major threat, as even its drone flights over Europe appear more performative than damaging. JL

Julia Struck reports in the Kyiv Post:

Ukrainian forces have liberated the village of Sichneve in the Dnipropetrovsk region, killing about 50 Russian soldiers and capturing eight. Sichneve (formerly Yanvarskoje) lies in the Pokrovsky district of Dnipropetrovsk region, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Dnipro city and 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Zaporizhzhia. DeepState reported that Ukrainian forces had cleared Sichneve, as well as Sosnivka, Khoroshe, and Novoselivka. Russia lacks the strength to conduct a major offensive in the region, where the administrative borders of three regions converge – Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Dnipropetrovsk.”

Ukrainian forces have liberated the village of Sichneve in the Dnipropetrovsk region, killing about 50 Russian soldiers and capturing eight, the 141st Separate Mechanized Brigade reported.

The brigade published a video on Telegram showing the assault operation, describing it as “real combat work.”

“These shots are not a movie, but real combat work. These are successful assault actions in the village of Sichneve, carried out by fighters of the 141st Separate Mechanized Brigade,” the unit said in its post.

 

The nearly two-and-a-half-minute body camera video - which Kyiv Post has not independently verified – shows close combat, explosions, and Ukrainian troops calling on Russian soldiers to surrender.

 

At the end, Ukrainian soldiers raise the blue-and-yellow flag over the settlement.

According to the brigade, fighters from the Shkval assault unit were responsible for the operation, which eliminated around 50 Russian troops.

“This operation proves we’re not standing still. We are not only holding our defenses but also moving forward, liberating our land and ruthlessly smashing every bug that crawled onto it,” the brigade added.

Earlier, the DeepState project reported that Ukrainian forces had cleared Sichneve, as well as Sosnivka, Khoroshe, and Novoselivka, with stabilization measures underway in the liberated areas. Meanwhile, DeepState noted that Russian forces had captured the nearby village of Maliivka.

 

Sichneve (formerly Yanvarskoje) lies in the Pokrovsky district of Dnipropetrovsk region, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Dnipro city and 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Zaporizhzhia. The village, home to around 100 residents, was renamed in September 2024.

Russian forces earlier claimed to have captured Kalynivske, also in the Dnipropetrovsk region, but Ukrainian officials denied the claim.

 

Ukraine’s Armed Forces (AFU) Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky said last month that Russia lacks the strength to conduct a major offensive in the region.

“The Dnipropetrovsk region is part of the Novopavlivskyi direction, where the administrative borders of three regions converge – Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Dnipropetrovsk,” Syrsky said. “There, the enemy is trying to use the tactic of ‘a thousand cuts’ to advance deeper into Ukrainian territory.”

According to him, Russian forces aim to establish a presence and “plant their flag on some building in a settlement.”

“The situation there is dynamic. The territories are vast, and troop density is insufficient – both on our side and theirs. There are more of them (Russians) in that area. But they lack the forces and means to carry out any decisive offensive,” he added.

Syrsky also noted that Moscow had redeployed marine units from the Sumy direction to the Novopavlivskyi sector in an effort to break through Ukrainian defenses and push toward either the Zaporizhzhia or Dnipropetrovsk regions.

On Sept. 25, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that Russia had captured 96 square kilometers (37 square miles) in the Dnipropetrovsk region, while the Russian Defense Ministry claimed it had taken 175 square kilometers (68 square miles).

 

Russia earlier claimed to have captured the settlement of Verbove in the Zaporizhzhia region, releasing a statement and a propaganda video to support the claim. However, the AFU have denied the allegation.

Located southeast of Zaporizhzhia, near Orikhiv, Verbove sits on the route to Tokmak and Melitopol – key logistics hubs for Russian forces. The village has been one of the most intensely contested points on the Zaporizhzhia front since 2023, suffering widespread destruction and the displacement of nearly all civilians.

According to the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade, a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group (DRG) infiltrated Verbove in an attempt to stage footage showing the Russian flag being raised over the village.

However, Ukrainian forces quickly detected and eliminated the group, the brigade said.

According to the brigade, three Russian soldiers were killed and one managed to flee. The drone video shows Ukrainian troops raising their own blue-and-yellow flag over the settlement.