Massive Russian Drone And Missile Barrage Hits Kyiv, Injures 15 Amid Prisoner Swap; Here’s What Zelenskyy Said

<p>A large-scale Russian drone and missile attack overnight hit Ukraine&rsquo;s capital and continued into early Saturday. According to news agency AP, quoting Ukrainian officials, at atleast 15 people were injured in the attack. Explosions and machine gun fire were heard throughout Kyiv as many sought shelter in subway stations.</p>
<p>The attack from Moscow came hours after Russia and Ukraine began a major prisoner exchange of hundreds of soldiers and civilians, the first phase of a swap agreed on by the two sides at a meeting in Istanbul last week.</p>
<p>The second phase is expected to happen later on Saturday.</p>
<p>Earlier, the talks that were held in Istanbul earlier this month marked the first time the two sides met face to face for peace talks since Russia&rsquo;s 2022 full-scale invasion. Kyiv and Moscow agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war and civilian detainees each. It was a rare moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire in the 3-year-old war.</p>
<p>According to news agency AP quoting officials, Russia attacked Ukraine with 14 ballistic missiles and 250 Shahed drones overnight. The Kyiv City Military Administration said that it was one of the biggest combined missile and drone attacks on the capital.</p>
<p>&ldquo;A difficult night for all of us,&rdquo; the administration said in a statement.</p>
<h2>What Zelenskyy Said</h2>
<p>Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said that the fragments of Russian missiles and drones are being cleared in Kyiv and that the rescue and emergency operations are ongoing at the sites of the strikes.</p>
<p>&ldquo;There were many fires and explosions in the city overnight. Once again, residential buildings, cars, businesses have been damaged. Sadly, there are injuries. It was a difficult night for all of Ukraine &mdash; 250 strike drones, the absolute majority of them Iranian “Shaheds,” and 14 ballistic missiles. The Odesa, Vinnytsia, Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kyiv, Dnipro regions suffered damages. All strikes targeted civilians. There are fatalities. My condolences to the families and loved ones,&rdquo; he said in a post on X.</p>
<p>&ldquo;With each such attack, the world becomes more certain that the cause of prolonging the war lies in Moscow. Ukraine has proposed a ceasefire many times &mdash; both a full one and one in the skies. It all has been ignored. It is clear that far stronger pressure must be imposed on Russia to get results and launch real diplomacy. We are awaiting sanctions steps from the United States, Europe, and all our partners. Only additional sanctions targeting key sectors of the Russian economy will force Moscow to cease fire. I thank everyone who helps and supports us,&rdquo; he added.</p>
<p>According to the acting head of Kyiv&rsquo;s military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, six people required medical care after the attack, and two fires were sparked in the Solomianskyi district of Kyiv.</p>
<p>News agency AP reported that the Obolon district, where a residential building was heavily damaged in the attack, was the hardest hit. The administration said that there were at least five wounded in the area. A local resident named Yurii Bondarchuk said that the air raids siren &ldquo;started as usual, then the drones started to fly around as they constantly do.&rdquo;</p>
<h2>Russia, Ukraine Swap More Prisoners</h2>
<p>On Saturday, Russia and Ukraine swapped hundreds more prisoners. According to AP, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia&rsquo;s defense ministry said each side brought home 307 more soldiers, a day after each released a total of 390 combatants and civilians. The news of the swap came hours after Kyiv came under a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack.</p>