Ukraine's capital was rocked by a large-scale Russian drone and missile assault in the early hours of Saturday, mere hours after a major prisoner exchange began between Kyiv and Moscow.
The overnight strikes, which saw explosions and machine-gun fire ring across the city, sent scores of residents scrambling into subterranean metro stations for safety.
Tymur Tkachenko, the acting head of Kyiv’s military administration, confirmed via Telegram that missile and drone debris fell in at least four districts of the capital. He added that six people required medical assistance, and two fires were reported in the Solomianskyi district.
Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko had earlier warned residents of more than 20 Russian strike drones approaching the city. As the barrage unfolded, he reported that falling drone fragments had struck a shopping centre and a residential block in the Obolon district. Emergency crews were dispatched to the affected areas.
The attack followed the initial phase of a complex prisoner swap agreed upon during talks in Istanbul last week — a rare moment of cooperation amid otherwise failed efforts to broker a ceasefire in the three-year-old conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that 390 Ukrainian citizens had been returned as part of the first phase of the deal, with further releases expected over the weekend. He described it as the largest such exchange since the war began. Russia's Defence Ministry confirmed receiving an equal number of its personnel from Ukrainian custody.
A Ukrainian official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the exchange occurred at the Belarusian border in northern Ukraine. The Russian side was taken to Belarus for medical attention, according to Moscow’s Defence Ministry.
Also read: Russia-Ukraine peace talks begin in Istanbul sans Putin, Zelensky
Heart-rending scenes unfolded at a Belarusian medical facility, where anxious relatives brandished photographs and banners, desperately hoping for news of loved ones. A returning Russian soldier recognised one such face. “Vanya!” cried Nataliia Mosych, her eyes welling up, “My husband!”
Despite the prisoner exchange — the most extensive involving civilians to date — fighting persists along the 1,000-kilometre front line. Tens of thousands of soldiers have died on both sides, and neither Kyiv nor Moscow has shown willingness to cease deep territorial strikes.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described the swap as a “confidence-building measure”, though Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no consensus had yet been reached on the venue for any future diplomatic dialogue.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday evening indicated that Moscow would soon present a draft document proposing conditions for a “sustainable, long-term, comprehensive” peace agreement — once the prisoner exchanges concluded.
Nevertheless, European leaders have criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin for allegedly stalling negotiations while seeking battlefield gains to extend Russia’s territorial control.
The Istanbul meeting revealed entrenched positions on both sides, with Ukraine and its Western allies insisting on a temporary ceasefire as a non-negotiable first step towards any peaceful settlement.
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