KYIV, Ukraine — Russia’s military claimed fresh territorial gains on Sunday, asserting that its forces had reached the boundary of Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, as Moscow and Kyiv traded accusations over stalled peace talks and the repatriation of thousands of dead soldiers.
The Russian Defense Ministry said troops from its 90th Tank Division had advanced from the Donetsk region and were now striking targets in adjacent areas of Dnipropetrovsk, a strategic region in east-central Ukraine that had a pre-war population exceeding 3 million.
Ukraine’s Southern Defense Forces acknowledged the growing pressure but said their troops were holding firm. “Our soldiers are courageously and professionally holding their section of the front, disrupting the occupier’s plans,” the command stated on Telegram. “This work does not stop for a minute.”
The claim comes as the war intensifies despite international calls for peace, with Russia continuing to capture territory and Ukraine launching drone and sabotage strikes deep into Russian territory, including on nuclear-capable bomber fleets and railway infrastructure.
Pro-Ukrainian open-source mapping data suggests Russia has seized more than 190 square kilometers (73 square miles) in the Sumy region in the past month alone. The Deep State map, which tracks battlefield developments, now places Russian forces close to Dnipropetrovsk and shows them advancing on Kostyantynivka, a crucial logistics hub in Donetsk.
A Ukrainian military spokesperson, Dmytro Zaporozhets, said Russian troops were attempting to establish a bridgehead for a deeper offensive into Kostyantynivka, further escalating the fighting in the east.
As battles rage, a growing public dispute has emerged over the handling of war dead. Russia on Saturday accused Ukraine of stalling the return of the bodies of 12,000 fallen Ukrainian soldiers. On Sunday, Russian state television showed refrigerated trucks transporting remains toward the Ukrainian border in the Bryansk region.
Ukraine denied the claims, accusing Russia of exploiting the issue for propaganda. Kyiv said exchanges of prisoners of war and bodies were already scheduled for next week. Russia, in turn, alleged Ukraine was “playing politics with the dead.”
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, said the Dnipropetrovsk advance was a direct message to Ukraine: If Kyiv refuses to acknowledge Russia’s territorial claims during negotiations, Moscow would “continue advancing further.”
The Kremlin has made recognition of its annexation of Crimea and four other Ukrainian regions a precondition for peace. Ukraine insists on a full Russian withdrawal from all occupied territory.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last week accused Ukraine of orchestrating a deadly bombing in Bryansk, western Russia, that killed seven and injured over 100 just before a round of talks in Turkey. Ukraine has not publicly commented on the attack.
Putin spoke with President Donald Trump on Wednesday. According to Trump, the Russian leader promised a response to recent Ukrainian drone strikes. “It’s probably not going to be pretty,” Trump told reporters, revealing he advised Putin to de-escalate but acknowledged the conflict might be “just something we’ll have to let play out.”
U.S. officials told Reuters that Russia’s full response to recent Ukrainian drone attacks has yet to materialize and will likely involve a multi-pronged strike including missiles and unmanned systems.
On Friday and overnight into Saturday, Russia targeted Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, with missiles, drones, and guided bombs, killing at least four people and wounding over 60 others, including an infant, according to local authorities.
On Sunday, Russia reported shooting down 61 Ukrainian drones, mostly in the Moscow region, prompting the temporary closure of two major Moscow airports.
As of June 7, Russian forces occupied 113,273 square kilometers, or nearly 19% of Ukraine’s territory, according to Deep State. The area includes all of Crimea, most of Luhansk, and large portions of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. Smaller portions of Sumy and Kharkiv regions also remain under Russian control.
Despite mounting diplomatic pressure, the conflict shows no signs of slowing, as both sides dig in and peace remains elusive.
