Kyiv reports massive Russian attacks after a prisoner exchange

At least 15 people were injured in a Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian capital Kiev and its surroundings on Saturday night. Houses were hit by falling rubble of shot drones, the authorities said. At first there was talk of eight injuries.

“There were many fire and explosions in the city at night,” said Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj in social networks. It was a difficult night for the entire Ukraine, with 250 drone attacks and air strikes with 14 ballistic rockets.

After the entry of the first groups of fight drones, Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned the inhabitants of the metropolis of further attacks. “Go to cover,” he asked the residents of Kiev on the Telegram platform. The emergency services are in use.

The attacks began shortly after the start of the great exchanges of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine on Friday. Both sides returned 390 prisoners. A total of 1,000 prisoners are to be replaced, as had been agreed in Istanbul in Istanbul a week ago for the first direct Russian-Ukrainian talks.

Russia had announced that the Ukraine has been able to share its conditions for a ceasefire after the greatest prisoner exchange so far since the end of the war.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrij Sybiha criticized the Platform X that after the first direct negotiations between Kiev and Moscow since 2022 a week ago in Istanbul, the prospect of “peace memorandum” had still not transmitted. “Instead, Russia sends fatal drones and rockets to the civilian population,” said the minister. “This is Russia’s answer to international peace efforts and a clear proof that increased sanction pressure on Moscow is necessary to accelerate the peace process,” said Sybiha.

President Selenskyj later said that the United States, the EU and others would have to strengthen these punitive measures against Russia. In addition to Kiev, the regions of Odessa, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk and Charkiw were affected by the Russian attacks.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously announced retaliation strokes in response to alleged “massive terrorist attacks”. In the past few days, Ukraine had shot at Moscow and other regions of the neighboring country as part of its resistance in the Russian attack war. The Russian Ministry accused Kiev attacks on civilian infrastructure and civilians with the alleged goal of destroying the resumed process of peace negotiations.

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported more than 100 Ukrainian drone attacks in various regions of the country in the morning.