Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds more prisoners on Saturday as part of a major swap that amounted to a rare moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire. The exchange came hours after Kyiv came under a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack that left at least 15 people injured, the AP reports. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia's defense ministry said each side brought home 307 more soldiers, a day after each released a total of 390 combatants and civilians. "We expect more to come tomorrow," Zelensky said on Telegram. Russia's defense ministry also said it expected the exchange to be continued, though it did not give details.
Hours earlier, explosions and anti-aircraft fire were heard throughout Kyiv. Many sought shelter in subway stations as Russian drones and missiles targeted the Ukrainian capital overnight. Officials said Russia attacked Ukraine with 14 ballistic missiles and 250 Shahed drones while Ukrainian forces shot down six missiles and neutralized 245 drones; 128 drones were shot down and 117 were thwarted using electronic warfare, per the AP. The Kyiv City Military Administration said it was one of the biggest combined missile and drone attacks on the capital. "A difficult night for all of us," the administration said in a statement.
Russia's defense ministry on Saturday said its forces overnight struck military targets across Ukraine, including missile and drone-producing plants, a reconnaissance center, and a launching site for anti-aircraft missiles. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow would give Ukraine a draft document outlining its conditions for a "sustainable, long-term, comprehensive" peace agreement when the prisoner exchange is complete. European leaders have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet in peace efforts while he tries to press his larger army's battlefield initiative and capture more Ukrainian land. The EU's ambassador to Kyiv described the overnight assault as horrific. "If anyone still doubts Russia wants war to continue — read the news," Katarina Mathernová posted on X.
(More
Russia-Ukraine war stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
