Russia, Ukraine implicit monolithic captive swap
Russia and Ukraine finalized the largest speech of prisoners connected Sunday that reflected a uncommon infinitesimal of practice successful different failed efforts to scope a ceasefire successful the much than three years of war.
Russia's Defense Ministry said each broadside brought location 303 much soldiers aft each released a total of 307 combatants and civilians connected Saturday and 390 connected Friday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the exchange, penning connected societal media that "303 Ukrainian defenders are home." He noted that the troops returning were members of the "Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service and the State Special Transport Service."
A surface seizure from a video shows Russian soldiers aft Russia and Ukraine connected Sunday confirmed the 3rd and last circular of a large-scale captive swap carried retired betwixt Moscow and Kyiv nether the presumption of an statement reached successful Istanbul earlier this period successful Russia connected May 25, 2025.
Russian Defense Ministry / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
In talks held successful Turkey earlier this month – the archetypal clip the 2 sides met look to look for bid talks since Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful February 2022 – Kyiv and Moscow agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of warfare and civilian detainees each. The talks, however, failed to nutrient a ceasefire betwixt the warring countries.
As such, Russia has continued its violative connected Ukraine, launching aggregate drone and rocket attacks amid the captive swap.
Just hours earlier Sunday's exchange, Ukraine's superior and different regions came nether a monolithic Russian drone-and-missile onslaught that killed astatine slightest 12 radical and injured dozens.
The standard of onslaught was stunning — Russia deed Ukraine with 367 drones and missiles, the largest azygous aerial onslaught of the much than three-year-long war, according to Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Air Force.
A gathering was damaged arsenic a effect of a Russian onslaught connected Kyiv connected May 25, 2025.
Danylo Antoniuk/Anadolu via Getty Images
In all, Russia utilized 69 missiles of assorted types and 298 drones, including Iranian-designed Shahed drones, helium told The Associated Press.
There was nary contiguous remark from Moscow connected the strikes.
U.S. President Trump connected Sunday told reporters helium would see hitting Russia with further sanctions aft the attacks.
"I'm not blessed with what Putin is doing. He's sidesplitting a batch of people, and I don't cognize what the hellhole happened to Putin," Mr. Trump said. "I've known him a agelong time. Always gotten on with him, but he's sending rockets into cities and sidesplitting people, and I don't similar it astatine all. Okay, we're successful the mediate of talking, and he's shooting rockets into Kyiv and different cities. I don't similar it astatine all. I'm surprised. I'm precise surprised."
Later Sunday night, Mr. Trump wrote connected societal media, "I've ever had a precise bully narration with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but thing has happened to him. He has gone perfectly CRAZY!"
Trump said Putin is "needlessly sidesplitting a batch of people," pointing retired that "missiles and drones are being changeable into Cities successful Ukraine, for nary crushed whatsoever."
Mr. Trump warned that if Putin wants to conquer each of Ukraine, it volition "lead to the downfall of Russia!" But Trump expressed vexation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arsenic well, saying that helium is "doing his Country nary favors by talking the mode helium does."
"Everything retired of his rima causes problems, I don't similar it, and it amended stop," Mr. Trump wrote connected societal media.
Zelenskyy said Russian missiles and drones deed much than 30 cities and villages and urged Western partners to ramp up sanctions connected Russia — a longstanding request of the Ukrainian person but 1 that, contempt warnings to Moscow by the United States and Europe, has not materialized successful ways to deter Russia.
"These were deliberate strikes connected mean cities," Zelenskyy posted connected societal media, adding that Sunday's targets included Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Chernihiv, Sumy, Odesa, Poltava, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Cherkasy regions.
"Without genuinely beardown unit connected the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot beryllium stopped. Sanctions volition surely help," Zelenskyy said. "Determination matters present — the determination of the United States, of European countries, and of each those astir the satellite who question peace."
Policemen and inferior workers basal successful beforehand of a residential gathering damaged by a Russian aerial onslaught connected May 25, 2025 successful Kyiv, Ukraine.
Oleksandr Gusev/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
Russia's Defense Ministry said, meanwhile, that its aerial defenses changeable down 110 Ukrainian drones overnight.
The standard of Russia's usage of aerial weapons aside, the attacks implicit the past 48 hours person been among the astir aggravated strikes connected Ukraine since the February 2022 invasion.
Meanwhile, battles person continued on the astir 620-mile beforehand line, wherever tens of thousands of soldiers person been killed, and neither state has relented successful its heavy strikes.
Russia's Defense Ministry quoted Yaroslav Yakimkin of the "North" radical of Russian forces arsenic saying Sunday that Ukrainian troops person been pushed backmost from the borderline successful the Kursk region, which Russian President Vladimir Putin visited days ago.
"The troops proceed to beforehand guardant each day," Yakimkin said, adding that Russian forces person taken Marine and Loknya successful Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region, which borders Kursk, implicit the past week, and were advancing successful the Kharkiv portion astir the mostly destroyed municipality of Vovchansk.
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