Russian forces have occupied the villages of Zelenyi Kut and Novoukrainka in Donetsk Oblast, located near the administrative border with Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the battlefield monitoring platform DeepState reported on July 5.

Russian forces are attempting to push further west, according to DeepState.

Donetsk Oblast has been a central battlefield since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 in Ukraine. While Dnipropetrovsk Oblast lies further west and has not seen significant Russian incursions, it is frequently targeted with missile, drone, and aerial bomb strikes.

Russian troops have been escalating their assaults in the area and are attempting to breach into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

"The situation around Dachne is pretty intense," DeepState wrote on Telegram, referring to the nearby front-line settlement in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Ukrainian forces have deployed reinforcements, but Russian units, relying on numerical advantage and constant infantry assaults, have breached some defenses in the area, DeepState said.

Ukraine's military has not officially confirmed the loss of the settlements.

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed Novoukrainka was captured as early as June 29, though that assertion was not independently confirmed at the time.

On July 2, Ukraine dismissed Russian claims of advancing into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, calling them disinformation. It said that a small Russian reconnaissance unit briefly entered the village of Dachne, took photos with a Russian flag, and was then "eliminated."

Ukrainian military spokesperson Viktor Trehubov said in mid-June that Russia was escalating attacks in the Novopavlivka sector — in the western part of Donetsk Oblast — and trying to breach into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

DeepState analysts suggest Moscow views an incursion into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast as symbolically significant and a propaganda opportunity, while for Ukraine, holding the administrative line is a strategic priority.

At least four civilians were killed and 37 others injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past 24 hours, regional authorities reported on July 5.

Russia launched 322 drones overnight, including Iranian-designed Shahed-type attack drones, according to Ukraine's Air Force. Air defenses intercepted 292 drones, while another 135 dropped off radars, likely used as decoys to overwhelm Ukrainian systems.

The attack was repelled using aviation, electronic warfare, mobile fire teams, and air defense systems.

In Donetsk Oblast, Russian strikes killed two civilians and injured four more, Governor Vadym Filashkin said. In Kharkiv Oblast, one person was killed and 15 injured, including two children, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov.

In Kherson Oblast, 11 civilians were injured as Russian forces targeted residential areas and other civilian infrastructure, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.

A 49-year-old postal worker was injured in Chernihiv Oblast by a first-person-view (FPV) drone, Governor Viacheslav Chaus said. The man sustained shrapnel wounds while delivering mail.

In Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, four civilians, two men and two women, were injured in Russian strikes, Governor Serhii Lysak reported.

In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, an 84-year-old man was killed, and two others — a 54-year-old man and a 10-year-old boy — were injured, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.

The latest strikes come as Russia continues to escalate its aerial campaign and reject calls for a ceasefire. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly urged Western partners to bolster Ukraine's air defense capabilities amid persistent drone and missile strikes.

Trump says Putin ‘wants to keep killing people,’ signals US may send Patriots to Ukraine

“It just seems like he wants to go all the way and just keep killing people. It’s not good,” U.S. President Donald Trump said.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy