“Heart of Ukraine”, getting closer to the front. The city of Dnipro, a possible major target of a new Russian assault
The city of Dnipro could become one of the main targets of the Russian army in the event of a new offensive, warn local officials and analysts cited by the French publication Le Monde. Although Russian troops have advanced in 2025 inside the Dnipropetrovsk region and occupied several villages, the real stake remains the large urban center on the Dnieper – a city of nearly one million inhabitants of major strategic importance in Russia's war against Ukraine.
City of Dnipro/PHOTO:X
The mayor of the city, Boris Filatov, says that an eventual conquest of the Dnieper would represent a turning point in the conflict. “I knew it would end up here, but that doesn't make it any less painful. For Moscow, it would be a symbolic milestone,” declared the mayor.
Military, logistical and humanitarian hub
French journalists describe Dnipro as a veritable military, logistical and humanitarian hub. After months of fighting for Pokrovsk – a city that Russian troops failed to capture – Moscow's army has focused its efforts on the Dnipropetrovsk region since the summer of 2025.
Even if the distance to the city remains considerable, local authorities and the military do not rule out the scenario in which the important industrial center could become the main objective of the next Russian campaign.
Colonel Oleg Timciuk, the coordinator of military surgeons in eastern Ukraine, says that the medical stabilization points of the brigades are getting closer to Dnipro. “We're reducing the evacuation time to hospitals, but that also means the front is getting closer. We're getting used to war… Maybe that's the worst,” he says with bitter humor.
The city that refuses to empty itself
Despite the threat, the city today has almost the same population as before the full-scale invasion launched by Russia in 2022. Dnipro has become a point of refuge for thousands of people displaced from Donbas – for some, temporary shelter; for others, a stage on the way to safer areas.
Locals often invoke a joke that has become famous: “Dnipro is not the first city of Ukraine, but not the second either.” The message behind the irony is clear: although Kiev is the capital, Dnipro is perceived as the “heart of Ukraine” – a city that pulses industrially, economically and militarily. A heart now under pressure from an advancing front.
Messages from Kiev
Meanwhile, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Sîrskîi, recently stated that during the winter, the Ukrainian army managed to recapture more territory than Russia advanced in February 2026.
For his part, President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke about the failure of the Russian offensive, but warned that a possible escalation of tensions in the Middle East could create new security challenges for Kiev.
