Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would press on with plans for a prisoner swap with Moscow, although he expressed doubts about a successful outcome, while his military leaders denied Russian claims that its forces had for the first time advanced into the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region.
“Ukraine continues to do everything possible to secure the release of our POWs and the return of our fallen Ukrainian warriors,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.
“Unfortunately, the full lists from Russia for the exchange of over 1,000 people, as agreed in Istanbul, have still not been provided. In typical fashion, the Russian side is once again trying to turn even these matters into a dirty political and information game,” he added
If the Kremlin “fails to comply with agreements, even on such humanitarian issues, it will cast serious doubt on all international efforts -- in particular those of the United States -- regarding negotiations and diplomacy.”
Separately, Zelenskyy told US television network ABC that only "hard pressure" from Washington and Europe could force Russian President Vladimir Putin to back down.
"Then they will stop the war," he said.
A day earlier, Ukrainian officials rejected Russian accusations that Kyiv was stalling the exchange of prisoners of war and the repatriation of fallen soldiers.
The denial came after Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky alleged that Ukraine had unexpectedly postponed both the exchange of prisoners and the acceptance of soldiers’ bodies for an indefinite period.
Medinsky said Russia had already provided Ukraine with a list of 640 prisoners -- prioritizing the wounded, seriously ill, and young people -- to initiate the exchange process.
Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War asserted that Russia’s claims did not align with reality or previously established agreements.
According to Ukrainian officials, while both sides had agreed in principle to repatriate the bodies of approximately 12,000 dead soldiers following peace talks in Istanbul, no specific date had been set for the exchange.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry accused Moscow of attempting to “rewrite” the agreements reached in Istanbul and of creating “artificial obstacles and false statements” to delay the process. The ministry warned that if Russia reneges on its promises, it raises questions about the credibility of the Russian negotiating team.
In his June 8 remarks, Zelenskyy also warned Ukrainians to be alert to air raid warnings following a series of heavy Russian air attacks.
"In the coming days we must pay attention to air raid warnings," he said. "Look after yourselves, look after Ukraine.”
US President Donald Trump has pressed both sides to bring an end to the war.
Kyiv has expressed agreement with a US call for a 30-day cease-fire. Moscow has resisted and saif certain conditions -- unacceptable to Ukraine -- must first be met.
On the battlefield, Ukrainian General Staff spokesman Andriy Kovalev has denied claims by the Russian Defense Ministry that its forces advanced into Ukraine’s eastern Dnipropetrovsk region.
Kovalev told RBC-Ukraine that the claims were "Russian disinformation" and that fighting continued in the neighboring Donetsk region.
Moscow, which already controls nearly 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, has captured more than 190 square kilometers of the Sumy region of eastern Ukraine during the past month, according to pro-Ukrainian open-source maps.
"Those who do not want to recognize the realities of the war at negotiations, will receive new realities on the ground," Russia's ex-president Dmitry Medvedev said on social media.
Dnipropetrovsk region is a significant hub in Ukraine for mining and industry. Military analysts fear deeper Moscow’s advances into the region could jeopardize Kyiv's struggling military and economy. It is not among the five Ukrainian regions Russia has formally claimed to be part of its territory.
There was no immediate independent confirmation of the claim. Reports from both the open-source monitoring group DeepState and the US-based Institute for the Study of War had not confirmed the claim as of their latest updates on June 7.
Meanwhile, late on June 8 authorities in Kyiv said the Ukrainian capital was once again the target of massive Russian drone attacks and that alerts were also heard in the Sumy, Chernihiv, Poltava, and Kharkiv regions.
There was no immediate word on casualties or damage.
Russia has also stepped up its attacks inside Ukraine. At least 14 civilians were killed and another 68 wounded in the Kharkiv, Kherson, and Donetsk regions because of Russian attacks on June 7 and 8, according to the National Police of Ukraine.
