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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine swapped hundreds much prisoners connected Sunday, the Russian defence ministry said, the 3rd portion of a large swap that was a infinitesimal of practice successful different failed efforts to scope a ceasefire.
The ministry said each broadside brought location 303 much soldiers, aft each released a full of 307 combatants and civilians connected Saturday, and 390 connected Friday. The swap was the largest successful much than 3 years of war.
The announcement came hours aft a monolithic Russian drone-and-missile onslaught targeted the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and different regions successful the state for a 2nd consecutive night, sidesplitting astatine slightest 12 radical and injuring dozens, officials said aboriginal Sunday.
The standard of the onslaught was stunning — Russia deed Ukraine with 367 drones and missiles, making this the largest azygous aerial onslaught of the much than three-years-long war, according to Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Air Force.
In all, Russia utilized 69 missiles of assorted types and 298 drones, including Iranian-designed Shahed drones, helium told The Associated Press.
It was “the astir monolithic onslaught successful presumption of the fig of aerial onslaught weapons connected the territory of Ukraine since the opening of the full-scale penetration successful 2022,” Ihnat said.
There was nary contiguous remark from Moscow.
For Kyiv, the time was peculiarly somber arsenic the metropolis observed Kyiv Day, a nationalist vacation that falls connected the past Sunday successful May, commemorating its founding successful the 5th century,
‘Deliberate strikes connected mean cities’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian missiles and drones deed much than 30 cities and villages and urged Western partners to ramp up sanctions connected Russia.
That has been a long-standing request of the Ukrainian person but 1 that — contempt warnings to Moscow by the United States and Europe — person not materialized successful ways to deter Russia.
“These were deliberate strikes connected mean cities," Zelenskyy wrote connected X, adding that Sunday’s targets included Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Chernihiv, Sumy, Odesa, Poltava, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Cherkasy regions.
“Without genuinely beardown unit connected the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot beryllium stopped. Sanctions volition surely help,” Zelenskyy said. “Determination matters present — the determination of the United States, of European countries, and of each those astir the satellite who question peace.”
The captive swap was the lone tangible result from bid talks successful Istanbul earlier this period that person truthful acold failed to nutrient a ceasefire and a uncommon infinitesimal of practice betwixt the warring sides.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said emanwhile that its aerial defenses changeable down 110 Ukrainian drones overnight.
The ‘most monolithic Russian aerial attack'
Sounds of explosions boomed passim the nighttime successful Kyiv and the surrounding country arsenic Ukrainian aerial defence persisted for hours successful efforts to sprout down Russian drones and missiles. At slightest 4 radical were killed and 16 were injured successful the superior itself, according to the information service.
“A hard Sunday greeting successful Ukraine aft a sleepless night. The astir monolithic Russian aerial onslaught successful galore weeks lasted each night,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said connected X.
Fires broke retired successful homes and businesses, acceptable disconnected by falling drone debris.
In Zhytomyr region, westbound of Kyiv, the exigency work said 3 children were killed, aged 8, 12 and 17. Twelve radical were injured successful the attacks, it said. At slightest 4 radical were killed successful the Khmelnytskyi region, successful occidental Ukraine. One antheral was killed successful Mykolaiv region, successful confederate Ukraine.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a pupil dormitory successful Holosiivskyi territory was deed by a drone and 1 of the building’s walls was connected fire. In Dniprovskyi district, a backstage location was destroyed and successful Shevchenkivskyi district, windows successful a residential gathering were smashed.
The standard of Russia's usage of aerial weapons aside, the attacks implicit the past 48 hours person been among the astir aggravated strikes connected Ukraine since the February 2022 invasion.
A colony engulfed successful fume and rubble
In Markhalivka, conscionable extracurricular Kyiv wherever respective colony homes were burned down, the Fedorenkos watched their ruined location successful tears.
“The thoroughfare looks similar Bakhmut, similar Mariupol, it’s conscionable terrible,” says 76-year-old Liubov Fedorenko, comparing their colony to immoderate of Ukraine's astir devastated cities. She told the AP she was grateful her girl and the grandchildren hadn't joined them for the weekend.
“I was trying to transportation my girl to travel to us," Fedorenko said, adding that she told her daughter, “After all, you unrecorded connected the eighth level successful Kyiv, and present it’s the crushed floor.'”
"She said, ‘No, mum, I’m not coming.’ And convey God she didn’t come, due to the fact that the rocket deed (the house) connected the broadside wherever the children’s rooms were,” Fedorenko said.
Ivan Fedorenko, 80, said helium regrets letting their 2 dogs into the location erstwhile the aerial raid siren went off. “They burned to death,” helium said. "I privation to hide them, but I’m not allowed yet.”
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Follow AP’s sum of the warfare successful Ukraine astatine https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
