Later Sunday, Moscow said it was pushing into Ukraine’s eastern Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time in its three-year offensive — a significant territorial escalation amid stalled peace talks.
The Kremlin has repeatedly refused calls by Ukraine, Europe and U.S. President Donald Trump for a full and unconditional ceasefire even as Moscow holds talks with Kyiv on a possible settlement to the conflict.
Meanwhile, a spat escalated between Moscow and Kyiv over a stalled prisoner exchange deal, struck at talks in Istanbul last Monday, which would release all severely injured and ill prisoners of war, as well as all captured soldiers aged 18-25. Both sides also agreed to return the bodies of 12,000 fallen soldiers, 6,000 on each side.
But on Saturday, the Kremlin accused Ukrainian negotiators of indefinitely postponing the swap — claims swiftly rejected by Kyiv.
“We urge Kyiv to strictly adhere to the timetable and all agreements reached and to begin the exchange immediately,” said Vladimir Medinsky, aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Russian statements “do not correspond to reality and previous agreements on either the exchange of prisoners or the repatriation of bodies,” Andriy Kovalenko, a Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council official, said on Telegram.