Russia Pounds Kyiv With Missiles and Drones as Prisoner Swap Frees Hundreds

Deadly overnight assault leaves 13 dead across Ukraine while rare diplomacy sees over 1,400 prisoners released in two days

Russia unleashed a massive overnight drone and missile assault on Kyiv and several other Ukrainian cities, killing at least 13 people and injuring many more, just as Ukraine and Russia concluded the largest prisoner exchange since the war began.

Explosions Rock Kyiv as Civilians Scramble for Safety

Kyiv was the primary target of the barrage, which Ukrainian officials say included 14 ballistic missiles and 250 attack drones. Ukraine’s Air Force reported shooting down 245 drones and six missiles, but others still found their targets, causing widespread destruction.

Fires broke out across the capital as explosions and sirens filled the night. Debris from downed drones rained over residential areas, damaging multiple buildings. At least 18 people were injured in Kyiv, according to police.

“It was a difficult night for all of Ukraine,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said, offering condolences to the victims’ families.

Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik described the night as “terrifying,” telling CNN she hid under the stairs during the bombardment. “It felt honestly like armageddon,” she said.

Casualties Mount Nationwide

Beyond Kyiv, at least four people were killed in Donetsk, five in the southern Kherson and Odesa regions, and four in Kharkiv, according to local officials.

The attacks extended to Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia, underscoring Russia’s continuing strategy of hitting both civilian and strategic targets across the country.

Prisoner Swap Brings Rare Moment of Relief

In contrast to the destruction, the two warring sides completed a rare act of diplomacy over the weekend: a two-day prisoner exchange that freed over 1,400 soldiers.

On Saturday, more than 600 Ukrainian and Russian servicemen were released as part of the second phase of the swap. Videos showed relieved Ukrainian soldiers, many with shaved heads and draped in their national flag, embracing each other and calling loved ones.

The first phase, carried out Friday, saw nearly 800 troops freed. The exchange was the only concrete outcome from a recent meeting in Istanbul, the first direct talks between the two countries in nearly two years.

Istanbul Talks Yield Little Else

Despite the prisoner exchange, no major diplomatic breakthrough emerged from the Istanbul meeting. The talks, proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, followed pressure from Kyiv’s European allies demanding an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.

Ukraine and its partners have accused Russia of using the meeting as a delaying tactic, noting that instead of peace proposals, Moscow has continued to escalate its aerial attacks.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha criticized Moscow’s post-summit actions, saying, “One week has passed since the Istanbul meeting, and Russia has yet to send its ‘peace memorandum.’ Instead, Russia sends deadly drones and missiles at civilians.”

Russian Claims of Defense Against UAVs

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it shot down 94 Ukrainian drones over its own territory—primarily in Belgorod and Bryansk, with additional interceptions in Kursk, Lipetsk, Voronezh, and Tula. In Tula, three people were injured, including two hospitalized.

As the war grinds on with no sign of a ceasefire, Ukraine braces for more nights like this one—punctuated by the terror of incoming attacks and the fleeting hope brought by moments of diplomacy.