Russian aerial assaults across Ukraine have resulted in at least 13 deaths and left 56 civilians injured, according to regional officials. On Saturday, the Ukraine air force reported that Russia launched 250 drones and 14 ballistic missiles against Kyiv alone, marking one of the largest combined aerial attacks on the city since the war began.
In the capital, 14 people were injured as the attacks sparked fires in residential buildings, damaging homes, businesses, and vehicles. Describing a “difficult night,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that there were multiple explosions and significant damage throughout Kyiv. “With each such attack, the world becomes more certain that the cause of prolonging the war lies in Moscow,” Zelensky remarked on social media platform X.
The toll from the attacks was not limited to Kyiv. Four fatalities were reported in the eastern Donetsk Region, five in the southern Odesa and Kherson regions, and four in the northeastern Kharkiv region. Olha Chyrukha, a 64-year-old Kyiv resident, expressed her despair to Reuters, saying, “I wish they’d agree to a ceasefire. To bomb people like this – poor children. My three-year-old granddaughter was screaming scared.”
Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, commented on the escalating tactics of the Russian forces, saying, “The enemy is improving its own tactics of using drones, while simultaneously striking with ballistics.” Zelensky emphasized that only “additional sanctions targeting key sectors of the Russian economy” could compel Moscow to consider a ceasefire.
The barrage of attacks came amid an ongoing prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine that followed discussions held in Turkey. On the same day as the air assaults, Zelensky confirmed that 307 Ukrainian prisoners had returned home as part of a larger exchange deal with the Kremlin. Previous exchanges included the handover of 390 soldiers and civilians from each side, marking the largest swap since Russia launched its full-scale assault in February 2022. A total of 1,000 prisoners are expected to be exchanged, with another round planned for Sunday.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, who has previously pledged to end the war, suggested via social media that the recent prisoner swap “could lead to something big???”. Earlier in the week, Trump had a discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the ongoing conflict, implying that negotiations for a ceasefire could commence “immediately.” However, Putin responded only by indicating that Russia would work with Ukraine to create a “memorandum on a possible future peace agreement,” refraining from addressing the calls for a 30-day ceasefire.