Russian forces are attempting to push into a new Ukrainian region, Moscow claimed on Sunday.

Moscow’s defence ministry said troops 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 troops were around 100 metres from the border near the town of Horikhove.

Ukraine’s southern defence forces appeared to confirm on Sunday afternoon that Russian troops were trying to enter the region but had not yet broken through.

“The enemy does not abandon its intentions to enter the Dnipropetrovsk region,” a spokesman said.

“Our soldiers are courageously and professionally holding their section of the front, disrupting the occupier’s plans. This work does not stop for a minute.”