Russia Declares Crucial Ukraine Advance as Peace Talks Stall
Russia stated Sunday that it was advancing into Ukraine’s eastern Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time in its three-year invasion, a considerable territorial escalation amid stalled peace talks.
There was no reaction from leaders in Kyiv to the claims, Ukraine’s southern army command said Russia ‘does not offer up its intents to go into the Dnipropetrovsk area, but our fighters are fearlessly and expertly holding their area of the front line’. Moscow said Ukraine was declining to agree to take back the bodies of eliminated soldiers, while Kyiv said Russia had not sent out the names of more than 1,000 captured soldiers to be released.
Russia’s defence ministry stated forces from a tank unit had ‘reached the western border of the Donetsk Individuals’s Republic and are continuing to develop an offensive in the Dnipropetrovsk area’.
There was no response from leaders in Kyiv to the claims, Ukraine’s southern army command stated Russia ‘does not give up its intentions to enter the Dnipropetrovsk region, but our fighters are fearlessly and expertly holding their area of the front line’. At a first round of talks last month, Ukraine stated Russia threatened to speed up and expand its offensive if Kyiv did not capitulate. Moscow said Ukraine was declining to agree to take back the bodies of eliminated soldiers, while Kyiv said Russia had not sent out the names of more than 1,000 captured soldiers to be released.
