Russia has launched a massive aerial attack on Ukraine, targeting various regions with drones and missiles, killing at least 12 people. The attack came as the two countries concluded a major prisoner swap. Ukraine’s air force reported that Russian forces attacked with 298 drones and 69 missiles overnight, one of the largest aerial attacks of the war.
“The most massive Russian air attack in many weeks,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, describing the attack as a “difficult Sunday morning in Ukraine after a sleepless night.” The air force added that “most regions of Ukraine were affected by the hostile attack,” with enemy air strikes recorded in 22 areas.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that “more than a dozen enemy drones” were in the airspace around the capital, causing damage to several buildings, including a student dormitory. At least four people were killed and 16 injured in Kyiv, while three children were killed in the Zhytomyr region.
Prisoner Swap Completed
The renewed attacks followed a massive wave of attacks the previous day, with Ukraine reporting 250 drones and 14 ballistic missiles, while Russia said it was attacked by at least 100 Ukrainian drones. Amidst the conflict, Russia and Ukraine completed a three-day prisoner of war exchange, with each side swapping 303 more detainees.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Russian Defence Ministry confirmed the swap, which brings the total number of prisoners exchanged to 1,000 on each side. The two sides had agreed to the swap in talks held in Istanbul earlier this month.
“The two sides traded fire as they engaged in their biggest prisoner swap since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022,” according to reports. Russia’s Ministry of Defence also claimed that its troops took control of the village of Romanivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, a claim Ukraine has yet to comment on.
In response to the attacks, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces shot down 110 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that 12 drones flying towards the Russian capital had been intercepted.