Russian invaders have created a new "Dnipro Group of Forces" in the occupied southern regions of Ukraine, according to a defense intelligence report, published on Twitter by the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Thursday morning.

"On 18 April 2023, the Kremlin issued a press release on President Putin's visit to Russian-occupied southern Ukraine... The release described the president as having visited the 'Dnipro Group of Forces.' This is one of the first references to the existence of a Dnipro Group of Forces (DGF). Russia uses the term 'group of forces' in a specific way, indicating a large, task-organised operational formation," the report notes.

"Early in the invasion, the Russian force was organised into groups of forces each aligned to their home military districts in Russia, for example, the Western and Central Groups of Forces. The existence of an apparently new DGF suggest that the original force organisation has evolved, probably due to heavy losses," British intelligence notes.

DGF's mission is likely to defend the southern sector of the occupied zone, and especially the south-western flank which is currently marked by the Dnipro River, the intelligence service notes.