Russia strikes Kyiv amid swap

AFP | Kyiv

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Fifteen injured as Kyiv targeted amid historic Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap
• Russia launched 14 missiles, 250 drones overnight in major assault

A massive Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv yesterday wounded at least 15 people, even as Russia and Ukraine continued the biggest prisoner swap since the start of Moscow’s invasion.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 14 ballistic missiles and 250 attack drones overnight, adding that it downed six missiles and 245 drones.

Kyiv was “the main target of the enemy attack,” the air force said in a statement.

“With each such attack, the world becomes more certain that the cause of prolonging the war lies in Moscow,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X.

“Only additional sanctions targeting key sectors of the Russian economy will force Moscow to cease fire,” he said.

Kyiv city officials reported fires and fallen debris in several parts of the Ukrainian capital, after AFP journalists heard explosions overnight.

Officials said 15 people were injured in Kyiv itself and five civilians were killed by Russian strikes in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.

The Russian military meanwhile said Ukraine had targeted it with 788 drones and missiles since Tuesday.

Dozens of drones targeting Moscow have been shot down over the past week.

The attack on Kyiv came hours after Russia and Ukraine completed the first stage of a prisoner exchange agreed at talks last week in Istanbul and just before the second stage yesterday.

Russia’s defence ministry said each side exchanged 307 prisoners of war yesterday via Belarus, a Kremlin ally.

It said the Russian POWs would receive psychological and medical help in Belarus before travelling on to Russia.

Both sides received 390 people in the first stage on Friday and are expected to exchange 1,000 each in total.

“We expect the exchange to continue tomorrow,” Zelensky said.