Russia Claims 'Big Success' In Dnepropetrovsk Offensive Within First 24 Hours
In a rapid escalation of the conflict, Russia has claimed its first victory in Ukraine's Dnepropetrovsk region within 24 hours of launching a new offensive. According to the Russian Defence Ministry, forces from Battlegroup Center advanced into Ukrainian territory and liberated new areas, pushing deep into enemy defences. The offensive comes just after Russia confirmed it had reached Donetsk's western border on June 9. A tank division is reportedly leading the push, marking a symbolic and strategic blow to Ukraine. This move signals Moscow's intent to expand the war deeper into eastern Ukraine, targeting regions that had previously been spared major assaults.
Read More

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
'Putin Didn't Give Elon A Rocket': Musk's Father Recalls How His Son Stunned Russians
Errol Musk recalled an incident from his son Elon's Russia trip while attending the Future 2050 Forum in Moscow on Tuesday. Errol said that the billionaire entrepreneur and SpaceX CEO wanted to buy a rocket in Russia but was rejected. He said Musk was turned down because it was considered a joke. The unsuccessful attempt to acquire a Russian rocket came before Musk kickstarted his rocket manufacturing program at SpaceX. Watch. Read More

The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
The endgame in the Russia-Ukraine war
On June 1, Ukraine executed 'Operation Spiderweb' drone strikes on Russian bases. They sent shock waves just ahead of the second round of peace talks in Istanbul and NATO's Eastern Flank summit in Vilnius. As the Russia-Ukraine war is in its fourth year, with mounting human and economic costs and rising global pressure for a diplomatic resolution, an endgame is in place. The revival of the Istanbul peace process and renewed engagement by key international players have reoriented attention towards diplomacy. Yet major questions persist: Will Ukraine's audacious strikes shift the war's trajectory? Can Ukraine endure the prolonged conflict? And can the main actors — Ukraine, Russia, the U.S., NATO, and the European Union — overcome entrenched divisions to forge a durable peace? The return of diplomacy As peace talks stalled under U.S. President Donald Trump, the Istanbul peace process was cautiously revived by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Two rounds of talks on May 16 and June 1 saw prisoner swaps and draft ceasefire terms exchanged. However, deep divisions remain, with both sides presenting largely irreconcilable conditions that hinder meaningful progress. Russia's 'Special Military Operation' could have ended in Istanbul negotiations in 2022, but a possible peace deal failed as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walked away from it. Ukraine chose to continue fighting as it hoped for NATO membership and Western leaders pledged funding, weapons, and training. U.S. President Donald Trump, prioritising his 'America First' and 'Make America Great Again' agenda, views the Ukraine war as a complex foreign policy challenge and seeks a swift end to it. His envoy, Keith Kellogg, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged it as a dangerous 'proxy war between nuclear powers — the United States, helping Ukraine, and Russia', and began Russia-Ukraine talks in February 2025. Mr. Trump sees no common ground or trust between Russia, Europe, and Ukraine, making an end to the Russia-NATO proxy war difficult. Acting as both participant and mediator, he believes a breakthrough is urgently needed. Mr. Trump's three months of shuttle diplomacy have sparked hope for peace. The peace framework addresses both sides' concerns. Ukraine won't join NATO, will gain security guarantees, accept a ceasefire, and territorial concessions. Sanctions on Russia will be lifted, and the present frontline will be frozen. Ukraine-Europe peace terms include a permanent ceasefire, no limits on Ukraine's military, and a U.S.-backed security guarantee akin to NATO's Article 5. Sanctions would ease gradually after achieving lasting peace, while occupied territories remain unrecognised. European leaders' 'Coalition of the Willing' meetings, led by the U.K. and France, seek a 'reassurance force' to monitor the peace accord's implementation. Russia demands addressing the war's root causes, Ukrainian neutrality, NATO-membership ban, demilitarisation, denazification, and troop withdrawals. It also seeks ceasefire guarantees that Ukraine won't regroup and receive Western munitions. If the West does not accept these terms, Mr. Putin warns of imposing terms militarily. In February, Mr. Trump proposed to initiate denuclearisation talks with Russia and China, considering the Ukraine war's potential for nuclear escalation and the expiry of the NEW START Treaty with Russia in 2026. Russian experts see this as a honey trap, reminiscent of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan's trick with the Soviet Union's President Mikhail Gorbachev. Kremlin remains sceptical of Western intentions and views Russia's nuclear power as a necessary deterrent. The broader Western posture is to continue supporting Ukraine until Russia is strategically defeated. In 2022, the European Parliament and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly designated Russia a 'state sponsor of terrorism,' complicating direct diplomatic engagement, while former U.S. President Joe Biden said 'no' to such a toxic 'terrorist' label for Russia. Mr. Trump's interest in ending the war is due to avoiding damage to America's reputation. He wants to deal with China and engage in the West Asian and Indo-Pacific region. The Ukraine war tests Europe's global autonomy, but its Russophobic stance hampers dialogue by framing Russia as an existential threat and exposing racism and militarisation. The West is waging a proxy war in Ukraine and, as is the case with any proxy in history, Ukraine's agency to decide the course of war is limited. Escalation risks are rising as Ukrainian drones allegedly targeted Mr. Putin's convoy in Kursk on May 20, 2025. Earlier incidents included bridge bombings in Kursk, drone attacks near Moscow, and a threat to the Victory Day parade. In response, Russia has escalated its military campaign, aiming to create a 'security buffer zone' along the Ukraine border. Mr. Putin warned that rejecting current peace terms would make any future peace 'more painful.' A fragile endgame Ukraine's deep strikes into Russia, likely aided by Western intelligence, risk escalation. Under its nuclear doctrine, Russia may retaliate if sovereignty is threatened. Operation Spiderweb escalates Russia's 'Special Military Operation' into a full-scale war. Though humiliated, Russia's engagement in peace talks signals a real interest in ending the conflict. In such a scenario, K.B. Usha, Associate Professor at the Centre for Russian and Central Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
&w=3840&q=100)

First Post
6 hours ago
- First Post
US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard slams 'warmongers' after visit to Hiroshima
Gabbard's visit to Hiroshima comes ahead of the 80th anniversary of the world's only atomic bombings read more Tulsi Gabbard, the US intelligence director, warned Tuesday following a tour to Hiroshima that 'warmongers' were dragging the world to the verge of nuclear war, in an unique, if veiled, call for diplomacy. Gabbard did not clarify her concerns, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has regularly threatened nuclear war as he warns Europe and the United States against supporting Ukraine. Gabbard, a former congresswoman who has previously been chastised for her views on Russia, shared a video of horrifying images from the world's first nuclear assault, as well as her reflection at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On August 6, 1945, the United States obliterated Hiroshima, killing 140,000 in the explosion and by the end of the year from the uranium bomb's effects. Three days later, a US plane dropped a plutonium bomb on Nagasaki, leaving around 74,000 people dead by the end of the year. Japan surrendered on August 15. 'This one bomb that caused so much destruction in Hiroshima was tiny compared to today's nuclear bombs,' Gabbard said. 'A single nuclear weapon today could kill millions in just minutes.' 'As we stand here today closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before, political elites and warmongers are carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers,' she said. 'Perhaps it's because they are confident that they will have access to nuclear shelters for themselves and for their families that regular people won't have access to.' Taking a tone more customary for a politician or activist than the director of national intelligence, Gabbard said: 'So it's up to us, the people, to speak up and demand an end to this madness.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gabbard's remarks come as aides to President Donald Trump voice growing frustration with Putin, who has refused US-led, Ukraine-backed calls for a temporary ceasefire. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom Gabbard criticized before the two entered President Donald Trump's cabinet, has warned that the United States could walk away from diplomacy over the Ukraine conflict if there are no positive signs. Gabbard, a former Democrat, faced a heated confirmation hearing but ultimately prevailed after Democrats and some Republicans questioned her past statements, including some supportive of Russian positions. She has said that the European Union and Washington should have listened to Russian security concerns about Ukraine joining NATO. Gabbard's visit to Hiroshima comes ahead of the 80th anniversary of the world's only atomic bombings. The United States has never apologized for the attacks.