Russian state media outlets unpublish reports of Russian troops ‘regrouping’ away from Dnipro River

Russian Defense Ministry calls it ‘provocation’

State-run news agencies RIA Novosti and TASS have unpublished news reports in which they stated that Russian troops near the Dnipro River had “regrouped.” Around ten minutes after the reports were published, they were deleted, with TASS saying they had released the information “erroneously.”

Messages in the agencies’ Telegram channels and on their news feeds were labeled “annulled.” The statement the agencies were quoting said, “having assessed the current situation, the command of the Dnipro grouping has decided to redeploy troops to more favorable positions east of the Dnipro River, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. After the regrouping, the ministry said that Dnipro will release some of its forces, which will be used for offensive operations in other directions.”

The reports referenced a Russian Defense Ministry statement. While no such statement was published through the Defense Ministry’s official channels, it is not uncommon for state-run news agencies to receive their statements ahead of time.

The Russian Defense Ministry called the reports a “provocation.” “Sending out a false report about the ‘regrouping’ of troops near the Dnipro, allegedly on behalf of the press center of the Russian Defense Ministry, is a provocation,” they told RBC. Telegram channel “Ostorozhno, Novosti” claims, citing a source from RIA Novosti, that the agency had received the information “from a fake Defense Ministry account, which is presumably run from the territory of Ukraine.”

When asked by journalists about the situation, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to comment, saying, “You know that we do not comment on the state of affairs directly on the battlefield of the Special Military Operation. This is the prerogative of specialists, professionals, that is, our military. And in this case, too, we believe only the military can and should comment on the situation.”

The Ukrainian army called the reports of “regrouping” an “information operation against Ukraine.” The National Resistance Center (created by the AFU Special Operations Forces), stated that, according to local residents, no corresponding Russian troop movements had been recorded.

As of the autumn, Ukrainian forces had established several bridgeheads on the left (East) bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region, which is controlled by Russian troops. In early November, the AFU gained a foothold in most of the village of Krynki and nearby forests, supported by artillery and drones from the river’s right (west) bank. OSINT analysts, as well as Russian sources, have spotted Ukrainian armored vehicles near Krynki. BBC sources in the Russian army told the BBC on November 11 that the AFU had occupied Krynki and moved heavy equipment there.