According to information provided by the Russian Ministry of Defense, Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds more prisoners.
The move is part of a wider exchange that represents a rare moment of cooperation in the thwarted efforts to achieve a cease-fire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Russian Defense Ministry said each side had brought home 307 soldiers, and the next day each side released a total of 390 military and civilians.
“Among those who returned today are fighters from our army, the State Border Service and the National Guard of Ukraine,” Mr. Zelensky said on his official Telegram channel.
“We hope there will be more tomorrow,” he added. The Russian Defense Ministry also expressed hope for further exchanges, although details were not disclosed.
The statement came hours after Kyiv was hit by a major attack using Russian drones and missiles that left at least 15 people injured, local officials said.
Explosions and gunfire were heard in Kyiv from Friday evening into Saturday morning as many sought shelter in metro stations.
At talks in Istanbul earlier this month, the first face-to-face peace talks since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war and civilian detainees on each side.
Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with 14 ballistic missiles and 250 Shahid drones, according to official figures, adding that Ukrainian forces shot down six missiles and neutralized 245 drones, with 128 drones shot down and 117 disabled by electronic warfare.
The Kyiv City Military Administration noted that this was one of the largest combined attacks using missiles and drones on the capital.
“A difficult night for all of us,” the administration said in a statement.
Debris from downed missiles and drones fell in at least six districts of the Ukrainian capital.
According to the acting head of the Kyiv military administration, Timur Tkachenko, as a result of the attack, six people required medical assistance, and two fires occurred in the Solomensky district of Kyiv.
The Obolon district suffered the most, where a residential building was seriously damaged in the attack. According to the administration, at least five people were injured in this district.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
