LONDON — Russian drones and missiles once more bombarded cities throughout Ukraine on Saturday night time into Sunday morning regardless of an ongoing prisoner alternate which is ready to be the most important of the 3-year-old conflict.
The Armed Forces Operational Command in Poland — a NATO nation that borders Ukraine to the west — mentioned in a Sunday morning put up to X that its fighter jets had been scrambled through the Russian assault. “Intensive exercise of long-range aviation of the Russian Federation has been noticed, related to strikes carried out on objects positioned, amongst others, within the western territory of Ukraine,” the assertion mentioned.
Ukraine’s air drive mentioned in a put up to Telegram that Russia launched a complete of 367 “air assault automobiles” — amongst them 9 Iskander ballistic missiles, 56 cruise missiles, 4 guided air missiles and 298 assault drones — at targets throughout the nation.
The air drive mentioned 45 cruise missiles and 266 drones had been shot down or in any other case neutralized through the assault.
“Most areas of Ukraine had been affected by the enemy assault,” the air drive wrote, with strikes reported in 22 areas and downed cruise missiles or strike drones reported in 15 areas.
Ukraine’s Inside Ministry mentioned in an announcement that a minimum of 12 folks had been killed — amongst them three youngsters from the identical household — and greater than 60 injured. Greater than 80 residential buildings had been broken and 27 fires recorded, it added.
Emergency staff extinguish fires within the particles of a home that was destroyed in a Russian rocket strike in Markhalivka, within the Kyiv area of Ukraine, on Could 25, 2025.
Thomas Peter/Reuters
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media early Sunday, “Immediately, rescuers have been working in additional than 30 Ukrainian cities and villages following Russia’s large strike.”
“These had been deliberate strikes on peculiar cities,” Zelenskyy continued. “Abnormal residential buildings had been destroyed and broken. In Kyiv, dormitories of the college’s historical past division had been hit. There have been additionally strikes on enterprises. Tragically, folks had been killed, together with youngsters.”
The newest assault marks the fourth consecutive night time throughout which Russia launched greater than 100 missiles and drones into Ukraine, per Ukrainian air drive figures. Although long-range assaults have occurred nearly nightly in latest months, Russia’s latest bombardments have been notable for his or her scale.
Ukraine can be persevering with its personal drone strikes into Russia, with the Protection Ministry in Moscow reporting the downing of 110 Ukrainian drones in a single day into Sunday.
The barrages got here regardless of the start of a multi-day prisoner alternate course of on Friday. Some 1,000 troops from each side are anticipated to be swapped, with the method set to proceed into Sunday, Zelenskyy mentioned.
The prisoner alternate will, as soon as accomplished, be the most important since Moscow’s invasion started in February 2022. Russia and Ukraine have swapped prisoners of conflict all through the battle, regardless of their failure to agree a long-lasting ceasefire.
U.S.-brokered peace talks since President Donald Trump’s return to workplace in January have likewise failed to achieve an accord, with each Kyiv and Moscow accusing one another of undermining negotiations.
Ukraine is demanding a full 30-day ceasefire, throughout which period peace talks can happen. Zelenskyy has repeatedly dominated out ceding territory to Moscow in any peace deal.
Trump’s threats of recent sanctions on Russia — as but unrealized regardless of Ukrainian and European appeals for extra American strain on President Vladimir Putin — don’t seem to have pushed the Kremlin away from its maximalist conflict objectives, which basically equate to Ukrainian capitulation.
An explosion of a drone lights up the sky over Kyiv, Ukraine, throughout a Russian assault on Could 25, 2025.
Gleb Garanich/Reuters
These calls for embody the annexation of 4 partially-occupied Ukrainian areas — plus the retention of Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014 — Kyiv’s demilitarization, a everlasting block on Ukrainian accession to NATO and the “denazification” of the nation — a nebulous demand based mostly on Russia’s false illustration of the Ukrainian authorities as a far-right dictatorship.
Ukrainian leaders have cited Russia’s continued massed strikes as proof that Moscow shouldn’t be real in its appeals for peace.
“Every such terrorist Russian strike is a ample cause for brand spanking new sanctions in opposition to Russia,” Zelenskyy mentioned on Sunday. “Russia is dragging out this conflict and continues to kill day by day. The world could go on a weekend break, however the conflict continues, no matter weekends and weekdays. This can’t be ignored. Silence of America, silence of others all over the world solely encourage Putin.”
“With out actually robust strain on the Russian management, this brutality can’t be stopped,” he added. “Sanctions will definitely assist. Willpower issues now — the dedication of america, of European international locations, and of all these all over the world who search peace. The world is aware of all of the weaknesses of the Russian financial system.”
“The conflict might be stopped, however solely by way of the mandatory drive of strain on Russia,” Zelenskyy mentioned. “Putin have to be compelled to assume not about launching missiles, however about ending the conflict.”
Andriy Yermak — the top of Zelenskyy’s workplace — wrote on Telegram early Sunday, “As an alternative of a ceasefire, there are murders.”
“With out strain, nothing will change and Russia and its allies will solely construct up forces for such murders in Western international locations,” Yermak continued. “Moscow will struggle so long as it has the power to provide weapons.”
