Russia launches huge drone attack on Ukraine even as prisoner swap runs smoothly

Ukraine's superior came nether a large-scale Russian drone and rocket onslaught overnight and into aboriginal Saturday that near astatine slightest 15 radical injured, according to Ukrainian officials. Explosions and instrumentality weapon occurrence were heard passim Kyiv arsenic galore sought structure successful subway stations.

The onslaught came hours aft Russia and Ukraine began a major captive speech of hundreds of soldiers and civilians, the archetypal signifier of a swap agreed connected by the 2 sides astatine a gathering successful Istanbul past week.

The statement was a uncommon infinitesimal of practice successful different failed efforts to scope a ceasefire successful the 3-year-old war.

Russia attacked Ukraine with 14 ballistic missiles and 250 Shahed drones overnight, officials said, adding that Ukrainian forces changeable down 6 missiles and neutralized 245 drones — 128 drones were changeable down and 117 were thwarted utilizing physics warfare.

An exigency idiosyncratic successful Kyiv assists his colleagues astatine the tract of a Russian onslaught connected a residential gathering Saturday.Alex Babenko / AP

The Kyiv City Military Administration said it was 1 of the astir monolithic combined rocket and drone attacks connected the capital.

“A hard nighttime for each of us,” the medication said successful a statement.

The debris of intercepted missiles and drones fell successful astatine slightest six metropolis districts of the Ukrainian capital. According to the acting caput of Kyiv's subject administration, Tymur Tkachenko, six radical required aesculapian attraction aft the onslaught and 2 fires were sparked successful the Solomianskyi territory of Kyiv.

The Obolon district, wherever a residential gathering was heavy damaged successful the attack, was the hardest hit. There were astatine slightest 5 wounded successful the area, the medication said.

Yurii Bondarchuk, a section resident, said the aerial raid siren “started arsenic usual, past the drones started to alert astir arsenic they perpetually do.”

Moments later, helium heard a roar and saw shattered solid alert done the air.

“The balcony is wholly wiped out, arsenic good arsenic the windows and the doors,” helium said, describing the harm to his flat arsenic helium stood successful the acheronian of the night, smoking a cigaret to calm his nerves portion firefighters worked to extinguish the flames.

The aerial raid alert successful Kyiv lasted much than 7 hours, informing of incoming missiles and drones.

Kyiv's mayor, Vitalii Klitschko, warned residents up of the onslaught that much than 20 Russian onslaught drones were heading toward the city. As the onslaught continued, helium said drone debris fell connected a buying promenade and a residential gathering successful Obolon territory of Kyiv. Emergency services were headed to the site, Klitschko said.

The captive swap connected Friday was the archetypal signifier of a analyzable woody involving the speech of 1,000 prisoners from each side.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the archetypal signifier of the woody brought location 390 Ukrainians, with further releases expected implicit the weekend, which volition marque it the largest swap of the war. Russia's Defense Ministry said it received the aforesaid fig of radical from Ukraine.

The swap took spot astatine the borderline with Belarus, successful bluish Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian authoritative who spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that helium was not authorized to talk publicly.

The released Russians were taken to Belarus for aesculapian treatment, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

However, the speech — the latest of dozens of swaps since the warfare began and the biggest involving Ukrainian civilians truthful acold — did not herald a halt successful the fighting.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with European leaders connected a telephone telephone to President Trump past week.Mstyslav Chernov / AP

Battles continued on the astir 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) beforehand line, wherever tens of thousands of soldiers person been killed, and neither state has relented successful its heavy strikes.

After the May 16 Istanbul meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called the captive swap a “confidence-building measure” and said the parties had agreed successful rule to conscionable again.

But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said connected Friday that determination has been nary statement yet connected the venue for the adjacent circular of talks arsenic diplomatic maneuvering continued.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow would springiness Ukraine a draught papers outlining its conditions for a “sustainable, long-term, comprehensive” bid agreement, erstwhile the ongoing captive speech had finished.

European leaders person accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet successful bid efforts portion helium tries to property his larger army's battlefield inaugural and seizure much Ukrainian land.

The Istanbul gathering revealed that some sides remained acold isolated connected cardinal conditions for ending the fighting. One specified information for Ukraine, backed by its Western allies, is simply a impermanent ceasefire arsenic a archetypal measurement toward a peaceful settlement.

Russia's Defense Ministry said it had changeable down 788 Ukrainian drones distant from the battlefield betwixt May 20 and May 23.

Ukraine's aerial unit said Russia fired 175 Shahed and decoy drones, arsenic good arsenic a ballistic rocket since precocious Thursday.