Ukraine acknowledges for first time Russia entered Dnipropetrovsk region

Ukraine acknowledged for the first time on Tuesday that Russia's army has entered the Dnipropetrovsk region, a central administrative area previously spared from intense fighting.

Read more: Russia claims another village in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region

"Yes, they have entered, and fighting is ongoing as of now," Viktor Tregubov, spokesperson for the Dnipro Operational Strategic Group of Forces, told AFP, though the army rejected Moscow's claims to have fully captured the settlements of Zaporizke and Novogeorgiivka.

Moscow first said its forces had advanced into the region -- which it has not made a formal territorial claim over -- in July. It has since claimed to have captured some settlements there.

In a separate statement, Ukraine's General Staff rejected Moscow's claims to have fully captured the villages of Zaporizke and Novogeorgiivka.

But battlefield monitor DeepState, which has close ties to Ukraine's military, said Tuesday that Russia had "occupied" them.

The Russian army "is now consolidating its positions, and is accumulating infantry for a further advance," it added in a social media post.