Russian forces break into another region of Ukraine with peace efforts stuck

A local resident crosses the road under an anti-FPV drones net in the town of Kostiantynivka, the site of heavy battles with Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine (Yevhen Titov/AP)

Russia’s invading forces have broken into an eighth region of Ukraine, a Ukrainian military official said, seeking to capture more ground in their three-year war of attrition as US-led peace efforts struggle to gain traction.

Some Russian troops have entered the villages of Novoheorhiivka and Zaporizke in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, a major Ukrainian industrial centre next to the Donetsk region where fierce fighting has been taking place, Victor Trehubov, spokesman for local ground forces, told The Associated Press.