The Ukrainian Foreign Minister has described the prisoner swap’s third day air attack as the biggest in weeks.
Russia has targeted Ukraine on its second consecutive night with drones and missiles, killing at least 12 people in the pursuit of a major prisoner exchange.
The Ukrainian Air Force said on Sunday that Russian forces attacked one of the war’s biggest air attacks, 298 drones and 69 missiles overnight.
“Most parts of Ukraine were affected by hostile attacks. Enemy attacks were recorded in 22 regions, defeating cruise missiles and UAVs (drones) fell at 15 locations,” the Air Force said on Telegram.
Ukrainian security services reported at least four people have been killed and 16 people have been injured in the capital.
The country’s emergency services reported that three children, ages 8, 12 and 17, had died in the area of Zhytomyr, and another person was killed in a city in the southern part of Mykolaiv.
The other four were killed in attacks throughout the Kumelnitsky region, Selgie Tyrin, the deputy chief of the region’s military regime, added in a Telegram post that civilian infrastructure had been destroyed.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andri Sibikh said it was “a difficult Sunday morning in Ukraine after a sleepless night” following “the largest Russian air force attack in weeks.”
A difficult Sunday morning in Ukraine after a sleepless night. The largest Russian air force attacks of weeks lasted all night.
Russia launched hundreds of drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to Ukrainian cities and communities in the middle of the night.
– Andrii sybiha (@andrii_sybiha) May 25, 2025
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on Telegram that “dozens of enemy drones” were found in the airspace around the capital.
He reported that he caused damage to the construction of the student dormitory in the Holosibsky district, the home in the Dniprovsky district and the home in the Shevchenkibsky district.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense said its forces fired down one times more Ukrainian drones overnight.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobianin said 12 drones flying towards the Russian capital had been intercepted.
Restrictions have been imposed on at least four airports, including the main hub Sheremetyevo, according to Rosaviatzia, Russia’s Civil Aviation Authority.
Major prisoner exchange
Both sides swapped the fire as they engaged in the largest prisoner swap since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Kiev and Moscow agreed to trade 1,000 prisoners and civilian detainees each at a meeting held in Istanbul, Turkier earlier this month.
Ukrainian President Voldy Mie Zelensky and the Russian Ministry of Defense said they each brought 307 soldiers home on Saturday, the day after they released a total of 390 military and civilians.
Zelenskyy said on his official telegram channel that further releases are expected on Sunday.
The Russian Ministry of Defense also said it hopes the exchange will continue.
The updated attack followed a massive wave of attacks the day before, with Ukraine reporting on Saturday that Russia had hit it with 250 drones and 14 ballistic missiles, while Russia said it had been attacked by at least 100 Ukrainian drones.
