The strikes, which targeted several regions including the capital Kyiv, came just hours after Moscow and Kyiv completed their largest prisoner exchange to date, swapping 1,000 captives each

By Titilope Adako

Russia’s heaviest air assault on Ukraine since the war began has left at least 12 people dead, including children, following a wave of missile and drone attacks overnight into May 25.

The strikes, which targeted several regions including the capital Kyiv, came just hours after Moscow and Kyiv completed their largest prisoner exchange to date, swapping 1,000 captives each.

Among the dead were three children — aged eight, twelve, and seventeen — in the northwestern Zhytomyr region.

Four people were killed in both the Kyiv and Khmelnytskyi regions, while one person died in Mykolaiv in the south.

Sixteen others, including three children, were injured in the Kyiv region alone.

Ukraine’s emergency services described the night as one of “terror,” with President Volodymyr Zelensky blaming Russia’s leadership and criticising global silence.

“Without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped,” he said.

European Union foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, condemned the attacks and called for stronger international action.

“Devastating to see children among innocent victims,” she said.

Ukraine’s military reported downing 45 Russian missiles and 266 drones, while Russia claimed to have shot down 110 Ukrainian drones in retaliation.

Despite the bloodshed, Russia announced another prisoner exchange involving 303 soldiers on both sides, completing the multi-phase swap negotiated in Istanbul on May 16.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump congratulated both nations on the exchange, describing it as a potential breakthrough. However, efforts to broker a ceasefire have yet to yield results.

Returning Ukrainian captives, some held for over three years, were seen arriving at a hospital in Chernigiv, visibly frail but overjoyed. “It’s simply crazy. Crazy feelings,” said soldier Konstantin Steblev, 31.

Another ex-prisoner, Viktor Syvak, 58, said his 37-month ordeal was indescribable. “It’s very joyful,” he told AFP.

Despite talk of peace terms from Moscow, many Ukrainians remain sceptical. “We don’t need talks, but weapons… Russia understands only force,” said a survivor near Kyiv.

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