At least eight people were injured following a wave of drone and missile strikes on Kyiv on Saturday, coinciding with the ongoing large-scale prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia.
According to the AFP, Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s civil and military administration, reported incidents of falling debris and fires across several districts in the capital. Explosions were heard overnight as air defence systems worked to intercept the attack.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, confirmed that two of the wounded were hospitalized. “The capital and the region are again under massive enemy attack. Air defence systems are continuously operating in Kyiv and its suburbs,” he wrote on Telegram.
According to the Russian military, Ukraine has launched 788 drones and missiles against Russian targets since Tuesday. Of these, 776 were reportedly intercepted.
The assault on Kyiv occurred hours after the completion of the first phase of a historic prisoner exchange, which could become the largest since the war began in 2022. Both nations received 390 individuals on Friday, with plans to swap a total of 1,000 each over three days following direct negotiations in Istanbul.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the development on social media, saying, “The first stage of the ‘1,000-for-1,000’ exchange agreement has been carried out… Today — 390 people. On Saturday and Sunday, we expect the exchange to continue.”
Many of the freed Ukrainian soldiers were visibly frail but appeared joyful as they arrived in the Chernihiv region. Families gathered, some holding photos of their missing loved ones, hoping for reunions. Soldiers were seen waving and wrapped in Ukrainian flags as they descended from buses.
One of the returnees, 58-year-old Viktor Syvak, who had been held for over three years after being captured in Mariupol, described the moment as emotional. “It’s very vivid. I didn’t expect such a welcome. It’s impossible to describe. It’s very joyful,” he told AFP.
Russia reported that it received 270 troops and 120 civilians, including individuals captured by Ukrainian forces in the border region of Kursk. However, the full list of those released has not yet been made public.
The agreement comes amid renewed diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has made several attempts to mediate peace, congratulated both countries on the exchange. “This could lead to something big???” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
For many Ukrainians, the swap has rekindled hope. “We have been looking for our son for two years,” said Liudmyla Parkhomenko, whose son went missing in Bakhmut. “Today I would like the Lord to send us good news… We feel in our hearts that he’s alive.”