Russia claims entry into Dnipropetrovsk – DW – 06/08/2025

Heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk has invited US President Donald Trump to live in his house for a week to better understand the Ukraine war.

“I advise American President Donald Trump to go to Ukraine and live in my house for one week, only one week,” Usyk told the UK national broadcaster BBC. “Watch what is going on. Every night, there are bombs, rockets flying above my house.”

The WBC, WBA and WBO heavyweight champion said people who don’t live in Ukraine “don’t understand what’s going on.”

“I worry about what happens in my country,” 38-year-old Usyk added. “It’s very bad because Ukrainian people have died. It’s not just military people — children, women, grandmothers and grandfathers, too.”

Usyk is currently in London to train for a rematch with IBF champion Daniel Dubois on July 19 at Wembley Stadium.

Russia’s war in Ukraine continues to rage, almost five months into Trump’s presidency, despite him saying he would finish the conflict “in 24 hours” upon returning to office.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is seeking the “total defeat” of Ukraine and not a negotiated end to the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a US broadcaster.

“I feel strongly that Putin does not want to finish this war. Inside his mind, it’s impossible to end this war without total defeat of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in an interview the ABC.

Zelenskyy contradicted US President Donald Trump’s earlier comment to ABC, where the US leader said he thought Putin wanted peace.

“Trust me, we understand the Russians much better, the mentality of the Russians, than the Americans understand the mentality of Russians. We are neighbors for ages,” Zelenskyy added.

Zelenskyy also stressed the importance of US backing for Ukraine. Only “hard pressure” from the United States and Europe could force Putin to back down, according to the Ukrainian leader.

Then they will stop the war.”

Two rounds of renewed peace talks under Turkey’s mediation have so far made little progress, only yielding an agreement on the exchange of prisoners of war, which has already been delayed.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda criticized German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other European leaders for failing to follow through on threats to impose sanctions on Russia unless it agreed to a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.

He told the Sunday edition of Germany’s Bild newspaper it “absolutely” undermined Europe’s credibility.

“And it doesn’t just affect the credibility of our sanctions, but the credibility of all our measures towards Russia and our support for Ukraine,” Nauseda said in remarks published on Sunday.

After visiting Kyiv last month, Merz, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, urged Russia to accept a 30-day ceasefire, warning of sanctions if it refused. 

Russia ignored the deadline, and no sanctions followed.

Nauseda said the sanctions imposed on Russia so far have not been strong enough.

Russian officials said on Sunday that they are still waiting for Ukraine to confirm a planned exchange of 6,000 bodies of soldiers who died in action.

Lieutenant General Alexander Zorin said that Russia has brought 1,212 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers to the exchange site at the border.

They are waiting for confirmation from the Ukrainian side.

It comes a day after Russia and Ukraine accused the other of endangering plans to exchange prisoners of war and soldiers’ bodies. 

Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said in a statement that there was no fixed date for the return of bodies and that Russia was not sticking to the agreed parameters of the POW swap, accusing Moscow of “dirty games” and “manipulations.”

The agency accused Russia of submitting lists of prisoners of war for repatriation that didn’t correspond to agreements reached.

The Russian Defense Ministry says its forces have entered Ukraine’s eastern Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time since the war began over three years ago.

The move marks a significant escalation, with Moscow claiming progress beyond areas it has previously annexed.

Kyiv has not yet responded, but the region is a key mining and industrial hub and home to millions.

It also said that Russian troops captured the village of Zoria in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.

Analysts warn that further Russian gains there could deal a serious blow to Ukraine’s military and economy.

Russia said its forces have pushed into Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region and are continuing their advance there.

Earlier this month, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia occupies around one-fifth of Ukraine.

We’ll explore the significance of this latest advance as the war, now dragging into its fourth year, continues to grind on.

We’re also monitoring reports of a possible exchange of prisoners of war and soldiers’ bodies. If that happens, we will bring you the details here. 

Stay with DW for real-time news, analysis, and insights from our correspondents on the ground as we continue to cover Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.