Russia advances to east-central Ukrainian region amid row over dead soldiers
Milana, 4, and her mother Olesya, 42, sit in an armoured vehicle as a police evacuate them, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the frontline town of Kostyantynivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine June 7, 2025. REUTERS/Anatolii Stepanov
By Guy Faulconbridge, Anton Kolodyazhnyy and Aleksandar Vasovic
Russia said on Sunday its forces had advanced to the edge of the east-central Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk amid a public row between Moscow and Kyiv over peace negotiations and the return of thousands of bodies of soldiers who fell in the war.
Despite talk of peace, the war is stepping up with Russian forces grabbing more territory in Ukraine and Kyiv unfurling high-profile drone and sabotage attacks on Russia's nuclear-capable bomber fleet and, according to Moscow, on railways.
Russia, which controls a little under one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, has taken more than 190 square km (73 square miles) of the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine in less than a month, according to pro-Ukrainian open source maps.
Now, according to the Russian defense ministry, units of the 90th Tank Division of the Central Grouping of Russian forces have reached the western frontier of Ukraine's Donetsk region and are attacking the adjacent Dnipropetrovsk region.
"The enemy does not abandon its intentions to enter the Dnipropetrovsk region," Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces said on Telegram. "Our soldiers are courageously and professionally holding their section of the front, disrupting the occupier's plans. This work does not stop for a minute."
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said the Dnipropetrovsk offensive showed that if Ukraine did not want to accept the reality of Russia's territorial gains in peace talks then Moscow's forces would advance further.
The pro-Ukrainian Deep State map showed Russian forces very close to the Dnipropetrovsk region, which had a population of more than 3 million before the war, and advancing on the city of Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region from several directions.
A Ukrainian military spokesman, Dmytro Zaporozhets, said that Russian forces were trying to "build a bridgehead for an attack" on Kostyantynivka, an important logistical hub for the Ukrainian army.
Russia on Saturday accused Ukraine of delaying the swap of prisoners of war and return of the bodies of 12,000 dead soldiers. Ukraine denied those claims.
On Sunday, Russia said it was moving bodies towards the border and television showed refrigerated trucks containing the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers on the road in the Bryansk region. Ukraine, officials said, was playing politics with the dead.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pledged to press on with prisoner exchanges.
"The Russian side is therefore, like always, even in these matters, is trying to play some kind of dirty political and information game," he said in his nightly video address.
"We believe that the exchanges will continue and will do everything for this. If the Russians do not stand by agreements even in humanitarian matters, it casts great doubt on all international efforts - including those by the United States in terms of talks and diplomacy."
Zelenskiy said he had reviewed commanders' reports about areas hit by heavy fighting, including near Pokrovsk, targeted by Moscow for months. He said the situation was "far from easy, but everything depends on the resilience of our units."
U.S. President Donald Trump, who says he wants an end to the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two, on Thursday likened it to a fight between young children and indicated that he might have to simply let the conflict play out.
ACCUSATIONS OVER WILLINGNESS FOR PEACE
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that he did not think Ukraine's leaders wanted peace, after accusing them of ordering a bombing in Bryansk, western Russia, that killed seven people and injured 115 a day before talks in Turkey.
Ukraine, which has not commented on the attack on a Bryansk bridge, has similarly accused Moscow of not seriously seeking peace, citing Russian resistance to an immediate ceasefire.
Russia is demanding international recognition of Crimea, a peninsula it annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and four other regions of Ukraine that Moscow has claimed as its own territory. Ukraine would have to withdraw its forces from all of them.
Russia controlled 113,273 square km, or 18.8%, of Ukrainian territory as of June 7, according to the Deep State map. That is an area bigger than the U.S. state of Virginia.
The areas under Russian control include Crimea, more than 99% of the Luhansk region, over 70% of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, all in the east or southeast, and fragments of the Kharkiv and Sumy regions in the northeast.
Putin told Trump on Wednesday that he would have to respond to Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia's bomber fleet and the bombings of the railways.
Zelenskiy warned Ukrainians in his video message to be particularly attentive to air raid warnings in the coming days.
The United States believes that Putin's threatened retaliation against Ukraine over its attacks has not happened yet in earnest and is likely to be a significant, multi-pronged strike, U.S. officials told Reuters.
© Thomson Reuters 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asahi Shimbun
10 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Japanese frigate arrives in Australia as Tokyo bids for defense deal
A mock model of the FFM "Upgraded Mogami" class is displayed during the Defense Security Equipment International (DSEI) Japan at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, east of Tokyo, Japan May 21, 2025. (REUTERS) NEWCASTLE, Australia--A state-of-the-art Japanese warship has arrived in Australia as part of a high-stakes campaign to secure a $6.5 billion contract to build the country's next fleet of general-purpose frigates. The JS Yahagi, a Mogami-class stealth frigate from Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, is docked in Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory in what appears a symbolic and strategic move aimed at strengthening defense ties with Australia and showcasing Japanese naval technology. Japan's bid, led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, was short-listed in November for the Royal Australian Navy's SEA 3000 frigate project and is competing against Germany's MEKO A-200 offered by Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. The Australian Government will select a preferred design later this year, with construction for 11 new vessels slated to begin the following year. 'We will go through the process of assessing those bids, both very impressive. We intend to make a decision in relation to that this year,' Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles said during his visit to Indonesia last week. 'We intend to make a decision as quickly as we can, which means, before the end of this year.' As part of its military buildup, Japan is pushing to strengthen its largely domestic defense industry by participating in joint development, including a next-generation fighter jet with Britain and Italy, and promoting foreign sales like the Mogami-class ships. In a sign of its commitment and heavy investment Japan has pledged to prioritize the RAN's order over its own naval procurement. The project not only serves to further deepen cooperation between Japan and Australia but also to enhance Japan's warship capabilities, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani has said. The Japanese Mogami-class design boasts advanced combat systems, anti-submarine and anti-air warfare capabilities, and mine countermeasure operations — all operated by a lean crew of around 90, helping to address ongoing recruitment challenges in the Australian Navy. The vessel's commanding officer, Masayoshi Tamura, said the ship's smaller crew was an aim of the Mogami-class ship. 'The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force thought we need stealth, and less people, and a little bit smaller ship,' Tamura told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The JS Yahagi's visit to Darwin comes amid intensifying strategic cooperation between Canberra and Tokyo, both of which have emphasized the importance of maritime safety and security of sea lanes. The frigate's arrival is also seen as a gesture of Japan's growing role in regional security and its desire to align more closely with key partners like Australia. In September 2024, Australia and Japan agreed to increase joint military training exercises to address shared concerns of China's incursions into Japanese airspace and territorial waters. Two months later, defense ministers from Australia, Japan and the U.S. held tripartite talks in Darwin to reaffirm their commitment to strengthening security ties and planning for joint military operations in northern Australia. Japanese marine units are also now included in annual training rotations of U.S. Marines in Darwin.
Nikkei Asia
11 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Trump administration deploys hundreds of Marines to Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The Trump administration on Monday ordered U.S. Marines into Los Angeles and intensified raids on suspected undocumented immigrants, fueling more outrage from street protesters and Democratic leaders who raised concerns over a national crisis. Some 700 Marines based in Southern California were expected to reach Los Angeles Monday night or Tuesday morning, officials said, as part of a federal strategy to quell street demonstrations opposing the immigration raids, which are a part of a signature effort of President Donald Trump's second term.
Yomiuri Shimbun
11 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
G7 Expected to Forgo Issuing Leaders' Declaration; Nations Seek to Avoid Highlighting Rifts with U.S.
Reuters Roadside turnouts are closed on the Trans-Canada highway ahead of the G7 meeting in Alberta, Canada, on Monday. Group of Seven nations are planning to forgo issuing a leaders' declaration at their summit in Kananaskis, Canada, according to Japanese government sources. Their aim is apparently to avoid highlighting the rifts between the United States and other G7 members, including Canada, the chair of the meeting, and Japan. The G7 summit will be held on June 15-17. It will be the first summit of the group for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. If a declaration is not issued, it would be the first time since 2007. That year, only the chair's summary was produced. Following Russia's ouster from the Group of Eight industrialized countries in 2014, after Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula , declarations and other joint documents have been released by all G7 summits, including those during the first Trump administration. The Canadian government has not joined the efforts to compile a declaration at this stage, and preparations are underway to announce only outcome documents on specific themes such as the supply chain for critical minerals and artificial intelligence, on which Trump places great importance. The G7 has traditionally promoted free trade, but Trump has been strengthening protectionist moves. There are also gaps between the United States and other G7 countries over support for Ukraine, which is under invasion by Russia. 'Canada is taking a realistic approach,' a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official said.
