Russia has launched a large-scale assault on Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, killing at least 13 people, just as both sides completed a major exchange of prisoners on the second day of the ongoing swap effort.
According to regional authorities, the death toll includes four people in eastern Donetsk, five in the southern regions of Kherson and Odesa, and four in the northern region of Kharkiv in the last 24 hours.
The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that Russia fired 14 ballistic missiles and 250 attack drones, with the primary target being Kyiv. Six missiles and 245 drones were intercepted, but several struck multiple regions, including Dnipro, Odesa, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia.
“It was a difficult night for all of Ukraine,” said President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram, expressing condolences to the victims’ families.
At least 18 people were injured in Kyiv during the overnight missile and drone barrage, according to police. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that the attack sparked fires across the city and damaged numerous residential buildings.
“Explosions and air raid sirens echoed across the capital,” eyewitnesses reported.
Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik told CNN she spent the night hiding “under the stairs” during the bombardment.
“It was terrifying, honestly it felt like Armageddon — explosions were everywhere,” she said.
The assault came just hours after Russia and Ukraine concluded the first phase of what is expected to be the largest prisoner exchange since the war began. Hundreds of detainees were released by both sides as part of the agreement.
