At least 14 people were hurt in a major missile and drone attack on Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, city officials said.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 250 drones and 14 ballistic missiles. The attacks started fires in homes and buildings across the city.
This was one of the largest air attacks on Kyiv since the war began.
Ukraine’s air force said it shot down six missiles and 245 drones.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that “with every attack, it becomes clearer that Moscow is the reason the war continues.”
The attacks happened while Russia and Ukraine were in the middle of prisoner swaps. These deals were made after talks between the two countries in Turkey.
Zelensky described the situation in Kyiv as a “difficult night.” Fires and explosions damaged homes, shops, and cars. Some damage came from debris falling after the attacks.
Olha Chyrukha, a 64-year-old woman living near central Kyiv, told reporters, “I wish they would agree to a ceasefire. Bombing people like this—especially with kids—is terrible. My three-year-old granddaughter was screaming in fear.”
Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military, said that Russia is getting better at using drones and missiles at the same time.
Zelensky added that only more sanctions on Russia’s economy might push them to agree to a ceasefire.
Last week, Russia said Ukraine had sent hundreds of drones to attack its territory, including over Moscow. Russia’s defense ministry claimed it shot down 485 of them.
On Saturday, Zelensky announced that 307 Ukrainian prisoners had returned home in a deal with Russia.
Just a day earlier, both sides had exchanged 390 prisoners each. It was the largest prisoner swap since Russia began its full-scale attack in February 2022. They plan to swap 1,000 prisoners in total, with the next exchange expected on Sunday.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has promised but not yet succeeded in ending the war, posted online that the swap “could lead to something big???”
Trump also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the week. After the call, Trump claimed that Ukraine and Russia would “immediately start” peace talks.
However, Putin only said that Russia would work with Ukraine on a possible peace agreement. He did not agree to the 30-day ceasefire being requested.
