Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners on Saturday in a major swap that marked a rare moment of cooperation in otherwise unsuccessful efforts to reach a ceasefire.
The exchange occurred hours after the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, was subjected to a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack that injured at least 15 people. Ukrainian authorities said Kyiv was subjected to a combined aerial drone and missile attack early Sunday, injuring at least 10 people.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia’s defense ministry said Saturday that each side returned 307 more soldiers after releasing a total of 390 combatants and civilians the day prior. Further releases expected over the weekend will make the swap the largest in more than three years of war.
“We expect more to come tomorrow,” Zelenskyy said on his official Telegram channel. Russia’s defense ministry also stated that it expected the exchange to continue, but provided no further details.
Kyiv and Moscow agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war and civilian detainees during talks in Istanbul earlier this month, the first time the two sides had met face to face for peace talks since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
The prisoner swap came just hours after Kyiv was attacked on Saturday, injuring at least 15 people, according to local officials. Explosions and anti-aircraft fire were heard throughout Kyiv, and many people sought refuge in subway stations.
Russia launched an attack on Ukraine with 14 ballistic missiles and 250 Shahed drones, according to officials. Ukrainian forces shot down six missiles and neutralized 245 drones, with 1280 drones downed and 117 thwarted using electronic warfare.
The Kyiv City Military Administration described it as one of the largest combined missile and drone attacks on the capital.
“A difficult night for all of us,” the administration declared in a statement.
Russia launched another round of drone strikes on Kyiv early Sunday, injuring at least ten people, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, warning residents to seek refuge in bomb shelters.
According to Timur Tkachenko, the head of the city’s military administration, four people sought medical attention after a five-story apartment building was struck in the Holosiivskyi district just outside the city center, Reuters reported.
According to Agence France-Presse, Tkachenko claimed that “more than a dozen enemy drones” were in the airspace surrounding the capital early Sunday.
“New ones are also approaching. Some of the drones flying over Kyiv and the surrounding area have already been dealt with. But new ones continue to enter the capital,” he wrote on Telegram, according to AFP.
Reuters witnesses reported hearing anti-aircraft units operating throughout the city.
Tymur Tkachenko, the acting head of Kyiv’s military administration, wrote on Telegram that debris from intercepted missiles and drones from Saturday’s attack fell in at least six city districts of the Ukrainian capital early Saturday. According to Tkachenko, six people required medical attention following the attack, and two fires broke out in Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district.
The Obolon district, where a residential building was heavily damaged during the attack, was the hardest hit. According to the administration, at least five people were wounded in the area.
A resident, Yurii Bondarchuk, stated that the air raid siren “started as usual, then the drones started to fly around as they constantly do.”
Moments later, he heard a boom and saw shattered glass flying through the air.
“The balcony is completely destroyed, as are the windows and doors,” he said, describing the damage to his apartment as he stood in the dark of night, smoking a cigarette to calm his nerves while firefighters worked to put out the fires.
The air raid alert in Kyiv lasted over seven hours, warning of incoming missiles and drones.
Hundreds of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners released in complex swap
The prisoner swap on Friday was the first stage of a complex agreement that involved the exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side.
It occurred near the border with Belarus in northern Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the released Russians have been taken to Belarus for medical treatment.
POWs returned to the medical facility in the Chernihiv region for a second day on Saturday. Many, however, found their arrival bittersweet.
Those who were unable to reunite with their loved ones found solace in the fact that the released POWs provided information about when their relatives had last been seen.
Anna Marchenko, the daughter of a missing Ukrainian serviceman, was overjoyed when a released POW reported seeing her father.
“This is very big news. “It’s like a fresh breath of air,” she explained. “I did not see him, but at least there is some news. At the very least, this news allows us to continue breathing and living in peace.”
However, the exchange, the latest of dozens of swaps since the war began and the largest involving Ukrainian civilians so far, did not signal an end to the fighting.
Battles continued along the roughly 620-mile front line, with tens of thousands of soldiers killed, and neither country has backed down from its deep strikes. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the released Russians have been taken to Belarus for medical treatment.
POWs returned to the medical facility in the Chernihiv region for a second day on Saturday. Many, however, found their arrival bittersweet.
Those who were unable to reunite with their loved ones found solace in the fact that the released POWs provided information about when their relatives had last been seen.
Anna Marchenko, the daughter of a missing Ukrainian serviceman, was overjoyed when a released POW reported seeing her father.
“This is very big news. “It’s like a fresh breath of air,” she explained. “I did not see him, but at least there is some news. At the very least, this news allows us to continue breathing and living in peace.”
However, the exchange, the latest of dozens of swaps since the war began and the largest involving Ukrainian civilians so far, did not signal an end to the fighting.
Battles continued along the roughly 620-mile front line, with tens of thousands of soldiers killed, and neither country has backed down from its deep strikes.
Following the May 16 Istanbul meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described the prisoner swap as a “confidence-building measure” and stated that the parties had agreed in principle to meet again.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that no agreement on the venue for the next round of talks had been reached as diplomatic maneuvering continued.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that once the prisoner exchange was completed, Moscow would provide Ukraine with a draft document outlining its conditions for a “sustainable, long-term, comprehensive” peace agreement.
Following the May 16 Istanbul meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described the prisoner swap as a “confidence-building measure” and stated that the parties had agreed in principle to meet again.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that no agreement on the venue for the next round of talks had been reached as diplomatic maneuvering continued.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that once the prisoner exchange was completed, Moscow would provide Ukraine with a draft document outlining its conditions for a “sustainable, long-term, comprehensive” peace agreement.
Russia, Ukraine still appear far apart on ceasefire talks
European leaders have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet on peace talks while attempting to press his larger army’s battlefield initiative and seize more Ukrainian territory.
The Istanbul meeting revealed that both sides were still far apart on key conditions for ending the fighting. One such condition for Ukraine, supported by its Western allies, is a temporary cease-fire as a first step toward a peaceful resolution.
On Monday, President Trump said he had a two-hour phone call with Putin, which he called “excellent.”
When asked by reporters if he believes Putin wants peace, Mr. Trump replied, “I do,” and when asked if he trusts Putin, he said, “I do.”
Mr. Trump added that he believes “some progress has been made.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that it shot down 788 Ukrainian drones away from the battlefield between May 20 and May 23.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia had fired 175 Shahed and decoy drones, as well as a ballistic missile, since late Thursday.