Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of prisoners hours after a massive attack on Kiev – National

Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners on Saturday as part of a major swap, a rare moment of cooperation in an effort to reach a ceasefire that had otherwise failed efforts. The exchange came hours after a massive Russian drone and missile attack in Kyiv, wounding at least 15 people.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Russian Defense Ministry said each side brought back another 307 soldiers on Saturday, the second day after each had 390 combatants and civilians. Further releases over the weekend are expected to make the biggest of more than three years of war.

“We hope there will be more tomorrow,” Zelenskyy said on his official telegram channel. The Russian Ministry of Defense also said that exchanges are expected to continue despite no details.

A few hours ago, explosions and air defense fires were heard throughout Kiev, as many people sought shelter at subway stations as Russian drones and missiles targeted the Ukrainian capital overnight.

During talks in Istanbul earlier this month – the two sides have held face-to-face peace talks for the first time since Russia's full invasion in 2022 – Kief and Moscow agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war and civilian detainees.

“Hard Night”

Officials said Russia attacked Ukraine with 14 ballistic missiles and 250 SHAHED drones, while Ukrainian troops shot down six missiles and neutralized 245 drones – 128 drones were shot down and 117 were thwarted using electronic warfare.

The Kiev City Military Administration said it was one of the largest missile and drone attacks on the capital.

“It's a tough night for all of us,” the government said in a statement.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha posted on X: “The clear evidence shows that increased sanctions pressure on Moscow is necessary to accelerate the peace process.”

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy posted “Another horror night for Ukrainian civilians” on X.

“These are not actions of countries seeking peace,” Rami said of the Russian strike.

EU Ambassador to Kiev Katarina Mathernová described the attack as “terrible”.

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“If anyone suspects that Russia wants the war to continue – read the news,” Katarina Mathernová wrote on the social network.

Air raid police in Kiev

Debris of intercepted missiles and drones fell in at least six Kiev urban areas. According to Tymur Tkachenko, acting head of the city’s military authority, medical services were required after the attack, and two fires were fired in the Solomianskyi area of ​​Kiev.

The government said that the Oberon area, where a residential building was severely damaged, was at least the worst injured in the area.

Local resident Yurii Bondarchuk said the sirens of the air strike “begins as usual, and then the drone began to fly around like a constant situation.” A moment later, he heard the sound of prosperity and saw broken glass flying through the air.

“The balcony was completely wiped out, the windows and the doors,” he said, as he stood in the dark, smoking to calm his nerves while the firefighters worked hard to put out the flames.

The air raid sirens in Kiev lasted for more than seven hours, warning of incoming missiles and drones.

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned residents before the attack that more than 20 Russian strikes drones were heading towards the city. As the attack continued, he said drone debris fell on a shopping mall and a residential building in Oberon. Crichko said emergency services have been to the scene.

Regional authorities were killed 13 civilians in Russian attacks in the east, east and north respectively.

Three people died after infrastructure for Russian ballistic missile target ports in Odesa, the Black Sea, according to local governor Oleh Kiper. Russia later said Friday's strike target was a cargo ship carrying military equipment.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Saturday that its troops attacked various military targets throughout Ukraine overnight, including missile and drone production plants, reconnaissance centers and launch sites for air defense missiles.

A complex transaction

On Friday, the prisoner exchange was the first phase of a complex deal involving the exchange of 1,000 prisoners from both sides.

Ukrainian officials said it took place on the border with Belarus in northern Ukraine and he spoke without anonymity because he had no right to speak publicly.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said the released Russians were taken to Belarus for medical treatment.

The prisoners arrived at the medical facility in Chernishev area on Saturday the next day. But for many, their arrival is bittersweet.

Those who were not reunited with their loved ones visited the release of prisoners of war, providing some information about the last meeting of their relatives.

Anna Marchenko, the daughter of a missing Ukrainian soldier, was thrilled when a prisoner of war released said they had met her father.

“It's a big news. It's like fresh air,” she said. “I didn't see him, but at least it's some news. At least it's a news, which gives us a chance to keep breathing and peace.”

But this exchange – the latest swap since the beginning of the war and the largest exchange of Ukrainian civilians to date – did not predict the battle.

The battle continued along the frontline of about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), where thousands of soldiers were killed and no country suffered in a deep strike.

After the May 16 meeting in Istanbul, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called the prisoners a “confidence measure” and said the parties agreed in principle to meet again.

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that no agreement has been reached at the venue for the next round of talks as diplomatic maneuvers continue.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow will provide Ukraine with a draft document outlining the conditions of its “sustainable, long-term, comprehensive” peace agreement once the ongoing prisoner exchange is completed.

Far apart under critical conditions

European leaders accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to press on a larger army battlefield initiative and occupy more Ukrainian land.

The meeting in Istanbul showed that the two sides were still far apart under the critical conditions of ending the battle. One situation in Ukraine, supported by its Western allies, is a temporary ceasefire, the first step towards peaceful settlement.

The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier on Saturday its troops shot down more than 100 Ukrainian drones in six provinces in western and southern Russia.

Local Governor Dmitriy Milyaev said drones attacked three people in the Tula area south of Moscow and fired at an industrial site there.

Andriy Kovalenko of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Commission said on Saturday that drones attacked a plant in Tula that used chemicals in explosives and rocket fuel.