Ukrainian overseas minister describes air assaults on third day of prisoner swap as largest in weeks.
Russia has focused Ukraine for a second consecutive evening with drones and missiles, killing not less than 12 folks as the 2 international locations pursue a significant prisoner swap.
Ukraine’s air power mentioned on Sunday that Russian forces attacked Ukrainian areas with 298 drones and 69 missiles in a single day, one of many largest aerial assaults of the conflict.
“Most areas of Ukraine had been affected by the hostile assault. Enemy air strikes had been recorded in 22 areas, and downed cruise missiles and assault UAVs (drones) fell in 15 places,” the air power mentioned on Telegram.
Ukraine’s safety service reported that not less than 4 folks had been killed and 16 had been injured within the capital, Kyiv.
The nation’s emergency service reported that three kids – aged eight, 12 and 17 – had been killed within the area of Zhytomyr, whereas one other particular person was killed within the southern metropolis of Mykolaiv.
4 others had been killed in assaults throughout the Khmelnytskyi area, Sergiy Tyurin, the deputy head of the regional navy administration, mentioned in a publish on Telegram, including that civilian infrastructure had been destroyed.
Ukrainian International Minister Andrii Sybiha mentioned it had been a “tough Sunday morning in Ukraine after a sleepless evening” following “probably the most huge Russian air assault in lots of weeks”.
A tough Sunday morning in Ukraine after a sleepless evening. Essentially the most huge Russian air assault in lots of weeks lasted all evening.
Russia launched a whole lot of drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles into Ukrainian cities and communities through the evening, injuring and… pic.twitter.com/FcawH6DJD4
— Andrii Sybiha
(@andrii_sybiha) May 25, 2025
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on Telegram that “greater than a dozen enemy drones” had been within the airspace across the capital.
He reported injury to a pupil dormitory in Holosiivskyi district, a home in Dniprovskyi district and a residential constructing in Shevchenkivskyi district.
In the meantime, Russia’s Ministry of Defence mentioned its forces shot down 110 Ukrainian drones in a single day.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin mentioned 12 drones flying in the direction of the Russian capital had been intercepted.
Restrictions had been imposed on not less than 4 airports, together with the primary hub Sheremetyevo, the Russian civilian aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, mentioned.
Main prisoner swap
The 2 sides traded fireplace as they engaged of their largest prisoner swap since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Kyiv and Moscow agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of conflict and civilian detainees every in talks held in Istanbul, Turkiye, earlier this month – the primary time the 2 sides had met head to head for peace talks.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia’s Defence Ministry mentioned both sides introduced residence 307 more soldiers on Saturday, a day after every launched a complete of 390 servicemen and civilians.
Zelenskyy mentioned on his official Telegram channel that additional releases are anticipated on Sunday.
The Russian Defence Ministry additionally mentioned it anticipated the change to proceed.
The renewed assaults adopted a large wave of assaults the day gone by, with Ukraine reporting on Saturday that Russia had hit it with 250 drones and 14 ballistic missiles, whereas Russia mentioned it was attacked by not less than 100 Ukrainian drones.
