Kyiv was hit with one of its biggest overnight attacks as Russia fired a salvo of ballistic missiles and drones, wounding a minimum of 15 individuals, said Ukrainian officials. The attack came late Friday night into early Saturday, with the sound of explosions and gunfire ringing in the capital. Numerous citizens flooded into underground shelters within metro stations for refuge.
The Kyiv City Military Administration characterized the attack as “one of the most massive combined missile and drone attacks on the capital.” Acting head Tymur Tkachenko reported that debris from missiles and drones showered six different districts. Blazes erupted in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district, and at least six people needed medical help. The Obolon district was most affected, with five injuries confirmed and major damage to an apartment building.
Kyiv Locals Recall the Horror
Resident Yurii Bondarchuk remembered the frightening moments. “The air raid alarm began as it always does, and then the drones began to circle as they always do,” he said. “And then within seconds there was this explosion and the broken glass flying.” “The balcony is completely destroyed, the windows and the doors,” he added, standing amid the wreckage as firefighters labored all night.
Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko warned citizens before the attacks that over 20 Russian drones were headed towards Kyiv. He later confirmed that debris from plummeting drones struck a shopping center and residential complex in Obolon. Emergency responders arrived on the scene. The air raid alarm was active for over seven hours.
The air force of Ukraine reported that Russian troops had fired 14 ballistic missiles and around 250 Shahed drones. Six missiles were shot down by Ukrainian defense systems, and 245 were intercepted or jammed; 128 were destroyed, and 117 were taken down through electronic warfare.
This violent assault came just hours after Russia and Ukraine agreed to a mass prisoner exchange, their first in months after negotiations in Istanbul on May 16. The agreement includes the exchange of 1,000 prisoners on both sides and is regarded as a rare moment of collaboration amid the long war, which is on its third year.
Details of Prisoner Swap
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that 390 Ukrainian citizens have come back to their country in the first swap, with further returns anticipated over the weekend. “This will be the biggest exchange of the war,” he told reporters. Russia’s Defense Ministry also confirmed taking receipt of the same number of troops and revealed that the liberated people were taken to Belarus for receiving medical assistance. The swap was said to have taken place at the Ukraine-Belarus border.
In spite of the prisoner exchange agreement, intense combat rages on along the 1,000-kilometer front. Tens of thousands of troops have been killed, and no side has indicated a desire to cease long-range bombardment.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described the prisoner release as a “confidence-building measure” and said both sides had committed to meeting again. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that no date or location for resuming talks has been determined.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow will present a draft of a “sustainable, long-term, comprehensive” peace agreement to Ukraine once the exchange of prisoners is finalized. Meanwhile, European leaders have criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for intentionally delaying peace talks for territorial gains.
The Istanbul summit confirmed that there are significant differences. Ukraine and its Western supporters still insist on a short-term ceasefire as a basis for further talks.
Russia also reported that it had downed 788 Ukrainian drones from May 20 to May 23. Russia had since Thursday night launched a mix of 175 Shahed drones, decoys, and a ballistic missile, Ukraine’s air force said.
