Russian troops have been said to have moved up to the borders of Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk province, stepping up military action in spite of continued public disagreements about peace talks and bringing back the remains of dead soldiers. Russian Defence Ministry stated that troops from the 90th Tank Division are advancing in eastern Ukraine, after recent gains in the Donetsk province.
Kyiv’s Southern Defence Forces verified Russia’s efforts to advance westward but maintained that Ukrainian forces are holding firm. The disputed Dnipropetrovsk region, which had more than three million residents before the conflict, now experiences increasing threats with Moscow solidifying control. Russian forces have also captured more than 190 square km in Ukraine’s Sumy region within a month.
Even as violence intensified, both sides continued to blame one another for hindering humanitarian work. Russia accused Ukraine of holding up prisoner exchanges and not retrieving the bodies of more than 12,000 Ukrainian troops. Kyiv denied the allegation, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy deeming Moscow responsible for politicizing the humanitarian exchange. Russia has started moving the bodies to the Bryansk border area.
Tensions were further fueled when former US President Donald Trump equated the war to a playground children’s squabble, eliciting stern criticism from Zelenskyy, who maintained that Putin was a “murderer,” not a playmate. Zelenskyy further threatened Russian possible retaliatory large-scale strikes for drone attacks by Ukraine.
Deep State map illustrates that Russia now occupies 18.8% of Ukraine territory, including Crimea and huge territories in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. Peace eludes as Russia insists on the recognition of those territories, but Kyiv will not retreat.
Zelenskyy reiterated that only strong Western pressure could halt Moscow’s aggression. He emphasized the growing trust between him and Trump after a private meeting at the Vatican, though he criticized Trump’s perception of Putin’s intentions as naïve.
