KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — On Sunday, Russia and Ukraine engaged in a significant prisoner swap, bringing home 303 soldiers for each side, marking the third round of a major exchange amidst ongoing conflicts. The Russian defense ministry indicated that a total of 307 combatants and civilians were released by each side on Saturday, following a swap of 390 individuals on Friday, making this exchange the largest in over three years of warfare.
The announcement of the swap coincided with a severe Russian drone and missile attack that targeted the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and several other regions, resulting in at least 12 fatalities and numerous injuries. Russian forces unleashed a staggering 367 drones and missiles, identified by Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat as the largest single aerial assault since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
The bombardment included 69 different types of missiles and 298 drones, many of which were Iranian-designed Shahed models. Ihnat referred to this as "the most massive strike in terms of the number of air attack weapons on the territory of Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022." There was no immediate response from Russian officials regarding the attack.
For Kyiv, the day held additional significance as it coincided with Kyiv Day, a national holiday celebrating the city's founding in the 5th century. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strikes as deliberate attacks on civilian areas, detailing that more than 30 cities and villages were targeted. He urged Western allies to impose stricter sanctions on Russia, emphasizing that without substantial pressure on the Russian leadership, such brutality would continue.
Zelenskyy reiterated his long-standing demand for enhanced sanctions, despite previous warnings to Moscow from the United States and Europe failing to yield significant results. He stated, "These were deliberate strikes on ordinary cities," which included Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Chernihiv, Sumy, Odesa, Poltava, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and Cherkasy regions. He also highlighted the importance of determination from the United States and European nations in achieving peace.
The recent prisoner swap was one of the few positive outcomes from peace talks held in Istanbul earlier this month, which otherwise struggled to produce a ceasefire. Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed to have shot down 110 Ukrainian drones during the night’s events.
The extensive use of aerial weapons by Russia marked a brutal escalation in attacks, with sounds of explosions resonating across Kyiv and surrounding areas as Ukrainian defense efforts continued late into the night. Fatalities included at least four individuals in Kyiv, with numerous properties suffering damage from the assaults. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha characterized Sunday as a difficult morning following the intense air assault, which persisted throughout the night.
In the Zhytomyr region, close to Kyiv, three children aged 8, 12, and 17 lost their lives, with twelve others injured in the attacks. The Khmelnytskyi region also reported casualties, with four fatalities, while one man was killed in Mykolaiv. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported damage to a student dormitory in Holosiivskyi district due to a drone strike and noted significant damage across various districts.
As destruction engulfed certain areas, residents expressed their anguish over the loss of homes and loved ones. After witnessing their neighborhood reduced to rubble, a 76-year-old resident, Liubov Fedorenko, drew painful comparisons between her village and other ravaged cities such as Bakhmut and Mariupol. She took solace in the fact that her family had not joined her that weekend, as their home suffered impacts directly where children's rooms were situated.
Ivan Fedorenko, aged 80, described the tragic outcome of allowing their dogs inside during an air raid, sharing his heartache over their loss and the inability to bury them due to ongoing attacks.
