As Russia and Ukraine carried out large-scale drone attacks on each other, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on June 8 that Russian troops had launched an offensive in the Dnipro Petersberg region in eastern Ukraine, marking the first time since the start of the conflict.

According to reports from CCTV News, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that the 90th Tank Division under the "Central" operational cluster of the Russian Army had arrived at the western border of Donetsk and continued westward into the Dnipropetrovsk region.

In the evening of August 8, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces denied the Russian Defense Ministry's statement, accusing Russia of fabricating lies to create public panic. The 31st Independent Mechanized Brigade posted on social media, stating that the situation in its defense area remained tense, but the Russian forces had not abandoned their attempt to attack the Dnipropetrovsk region. However, the brigade had fought fiercely and held its defensive line.

The Dnipropetrovsk region is a mining and industrial center in Ukraine, home to famous Krivoy Rog iron ore mines and Nikopol manganese mines. It borders Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions to the east, all three of which have been partially occupied by Russian forces. If confirmed, the attack on the Dnipropetrovsk region would mark the first time Russian forces have advanced into central Ukraine since the start of the conflict. Currently, Russian forces are also intensifying their attacks on Sumy in northeastern Ukraine.

While Russian forces advance on the Ukrainian battlefield, Ukraine continues to launch drone attacks on Russian territory. On the morning of August 8, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin posted on social media, stating that Russian forces had destroyed nine Ukrainian drones heading toward Moscow, and two airports in Moscow were closed due to the threat of the attack.

To retaliate against Ukraine's "Spider Web" operation targeting Russian strategic air force bases, Russia conducted a large-scale drone and missile strike across all of Ukraine last Friday. According to Ukrainian authorities, Russian forces used 407 attack drones and 44 missiles.

The retaliatory actions and continuous clashes between Russia and Ukraine have also obstructed the previous agreement reached in the second round of direct negotiations for the exchange of fallen soldiers' remains.

According to reports from CCTV News, Alexander Zorin, a member of the Russian negotiation delegation, said on August 8 that the first convoy with 1,212 fallen Ukrainian soldiers' remains had arrived at the exchange area. However, there were indications that the transfer of remains would be delayed until this week, as Russia was waiting for confirmation from Ukraine. He reiterated that Russia was fully willing to fulfill all agreements regarding the return of fallen Ukrainian soldiers' remains and the exchange of remains.

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Ukrainian Prisoners of War denied Russia's claim that Ukraine had postponed the exchange of prisoners of war. The headquarters stated that according to the agreement, Ukraine had submitted a list of exchange personnel to Russia, involving the exchange of seriously injured and seriously ill soldiers as well as captured soldiers under 25 years old through a "full-for-full" method. However, the list submitted by Russia did not match the agreed plan, and Ukraine had raised objections and was waiting for Russia's response.

The headquarters also pointed out that although both sides had reached an agreement on the exchange of fallen soldiers' remains, no consensus had been reached on the exchange date. Ukraine urged Russia to return to "constructive" work and implement the consensus in the coming days to exchange personnel.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump admitted that due to the deep-seated grievances between Russia and Ukraine, it would be difficult to achieve an immediate ceasefire between the two countries in a short period. He compared himself to a referee in an ice hockey game, allowing the players to "fight for a while" before intervening when there was a brawl on the field.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/751378439762467/

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