Kyiv hit by Russian strikes as largest prisoner swap of war begins
LONDON -- Russia launched a large drone and missile attack on Kyiv early Saturday, injuring six and damaging buildings across the city as the next stage of a prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia is set for today, with 390 people already freed and up to 1000 inmates expected to be released in the coming days.
Russia fired 14 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles and 250 Shahed drones, mostly targeting Kyiv. Ukraine’s Air Force said it shot down six missiles and 245 drones.
At least 17 people were injured in Kyiv, with residential buildings and infrastructure damaged across multiple districts.
Elsewhere, Russian shelling in Kherson region over the past day killed two people and injured 13, damaging critical and social infrastructure, along with three apartment buildings and 12 private homes. Russian forces also killed four and injured eight more In the Donetsk region on Friday.
In Russia, Ukrainian drone attacks overnight and on Saturday morning injured three people and targeted industrial sites in the Lipetsk and Tula regions. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed 94 drones were downed over six regions.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) says Russian forces have executed more than 150 captured Ukrainian soldiers since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, describing it as part of a deliberate campaign by Moscow’s leadership.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for stronger sanctions against Russia, saying Moscow’s aim is to prolong the war by rejecting ceasefire proposals.
The exchange was prepared following bilateral peace talks in Istanbul last week.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday that once the swap is complete, Russia will hand over a draft "outlining the conditions for achieving a sustainable, long-term, comprehensive settlement agreement," according to Russian state media.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Friday that Ukraine is committed to a ceasefire and called the exchange the "first stage."
"We achieved 1,000 for 1,000. After this, if it will be successful, as I said first is exchanges, second is the ceasefire," he said.
Such exchanges have taken place throughout Russia's 3-year-old invasion, though the swap -- once completed -- will be by far the largest to date. Prisoner exchanges are one of the few areas in which Moscow and Kyiv have been able to reach an accord during the conflict.
