Russia launches heaviest attack on Kyiv in years
By Stefan J. Bos
At least some people in Kyiv had been longing for peace amid the largest prisoner exchange since the war began. Yet their dreams of a peaceful future were brutally interrupted overnight, with officials saying Russia launched 14 ballistic missiles and 250 drones in the early hours of Saturday.
The army claimed Ukrainian forces shot down six missiles and stopped most of the drones before they reached Kyiv.
Yet the reality of war was still visible.
Air defense systems were activated throughout the city as drone debris struck residential and non-residential buildings.
Witnesses said they hit apartment blocks in the Dniprovskyi district and a shopping center in Obolon in Kyiv’s northern suburbs.
Fires broke out on multiple building floors, with residents reportedly hospitalized and significant damage reported.
Moscow struck
The strike comes just a day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov vowed retaliation for over 800 recent Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian soil, including in Moscow.
An air alert in Kyiv lasted more than seven hours, underscoring the intensity and reach of the overnight attack.
The strike happened hours after Russia and Ukraine began their largest prisoner exchange since the war broke out more than three years ago.
Hundreds of soldiers and civilians, the first phase of a deal agreed in Istanbul, Turkey, were released.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed that 1,000 prisoners would be released on each side over the coming days. He clarified that he hopes this will begin the road to peace.
“Ukraine wants peace,” he told reporters.
He recalled, "The first step is to, as we indicated in our Istanbul visit, we wanted a ceasefire. We were ready. We couldn't achieve it, but we're working on it. Second one is an exchange of prisoners of war and civilians. We achieved a thousand for a thousand.”
However, Ukrainian and Russian delegates ultimately agreed that “firstly is exchanges. Second is a ceasefire,” he added.
Thanking partners
“And the third step is a leaders meeting. Our president came to Turkey and he was awaiting for a meeting. And after discussions with [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan, he decided to send a Ukrainian team that was led by me,” the minister stressed.
Umerov thanked U.S. President Donald J. Trump and European partners for seeking to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two.
More than a million people, including hundreds of thousands of soldiers, are believed to have been killed or injured since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The clashes have displaced millions more.
Among them were many women and children, who were often forced to flee alone, as many men had to stay behind.
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