Russia has carried out a massive drone and missile attack across Ukraine. At least 13 people have been killed and 56 civilians injured in the attack that began on Friday (May 23), Ukrainian regional authorities said. BBC News.
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia fired 250 drones and 14 ballistic missiles at the capital Kiev alone. The attack set residential buildings on fire and the city shook with the sound of explosions. At least 14 people were injured in the capital. It is being considered one of the largest combined air strikes on Kiev since the war began.
However, the Ukrainian Air Force claimed that it shot down 245 drones and six missiles.
In response to the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, “With each attack, it becomes clear to the world that Moscow is responsible for prolonging the war.”
The overnight attack came as Russia and Ukraine were exchanging prisoners after talks in Turkey.
“It was a difficult night,” Zelensky said. “Explosions, fires all over Kiev — many houses, businesses, even cars were damaged.”
Two schools and a clinic in the Kiev region were targeted.
Four people were reported killed in the Donetsk region, five in Odessa and Kherson in the south, and four in Kharkiv in the northeast.
Drone strikes hit port infrastructure in Odessa.
Many residential buildings, facilities and flats were damaged across the country. More than 100 people have been evacuated from the war-torn area, including 13 children.
“The enemy is now improving its tactics by using drones and ballistic weapons simultaneously,” said Timur Tkachenko, the head of the military administration in Kiev.
Zelensky added, “Additional sanctions on key sectors of Russia’s economy are necessary to force a ceasefire.”
Meanwhile, former US President Donald Trump, who has promised to stop the war, said of the prisoner swap, “Maybe this is the beginning of something big???”
Trump recently discussed the war in Ukraine in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and claimed that “they are sitting down to discuss a deal right now.”
However, Putin only said that Russia was willing to work on a draft of a possible peace treaty, but did not say anything about a 30-day ceasefire.
Zelensky said on Saturday that 307 Ukrainians had returned home as part of a prisoner swap. On Friday, both countries released 390 prisoners, the largest exchange since the full-scale war began in 2022.
The two countries have agreed to exchange another 1,000 prisoners, with the next round scheduled for Sunday.
Source: BBC