LONDON — Russia launched a big drone and missile assault on Kyiv early Saturday, injuring six and damaging buildings throughout the town as the subsequent stage of a prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia is about for at this time, with 390 folks already freed and as much as 1000 inmates anticipated to be launched within the coming days.
Russia fired 14 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles and 250 Shahed drones, principally focusing on Kyiv. Ukraine’s Air Power stated it shot down six missiles and 245 drones.
At the least 17 folks had been injured in Kyiv, with residential buildings and infrastructure broken throughout a number of districts.
Elsewhere, Russian shelling in Kherson area over the previous day killed two folks and injured 13, damaging important and social infrastructure, together with three house buildings and 12 personal properties. Russian forces additionally killed 4 and injured eight extra Within the Donetsk area on Friday.
In Russia, Ukrainian drone assaults in a single day and on Saturday morning injured three folks and focused industrial websites within the Lipetsk and Tula areas. The Russian Protection Ministry claimed 94 drones had been downed over six areas.
In the meantime, Ukraine’s Protection Intelligence (HUR) says Russian forces have executed greater than 150 captured Ukrainian troopers because the begin of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, describing it as a part of a deliberate marketing campaign by Moscow’s management.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referred to as for stronger sanctions in opposition to Russia, saying Moscow’s goal is to delay the struggle by rejecting ceasefire proposals.
The alternate was ready following bilateral peace talks in Istanbul final week.
Ukrainian prisoners of struggle are seen after a swap, amid Russia’s assault on Ukraine, at an unknown location in Ukraine, on this handout image launched Might 23, 2025.
Ukrainian Presidential Press Service by way of Reuters
Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov stated Friday that when the swap is full, Russia will hand over a draft “outlining the circumstances for reaching a sustainable, long-term, complete settlement settlement,” in line with Russian state media.
Ukrainian Protection Minister Rustem Umerov stated Friday that Ukraine is dedicated to a ceasefire and referred to as the alternate the “first stage.”
“We achieved 1,000 for 1,000. After this, if it is going to be profitable, as I stated first is exchanges, second is the ceasefire,” he stated.
Such exchanges have taken place all through Russia’s 3-year-old invasion, although the swap — as soon as accomplished — can be by far the biggest up to now. Prisoner exchanges are one of many few areas by which Moscow and Kyiv have been in a position to attain an accord in the course of the battle.
