Russia unleashed its largest aerial assault for the reason that battle started, placing greater than 30 cities and villages throughout Ukraine in a single day into Sunday. At the very least 12 individuals had been killed and dozens injured as 367 missiles and drones rained down in a second straight night time of intense bombardment, reported the information company AP.Ukraine’s Air Pressure spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat confirmed that Russia deployed 69 missiles and 298 drones, together with Iranian-made Shahed UAVs. “It was essentially the most huge strike by way of the variety of air assault weapons on the territory of Ukraine for the reason that starting of the full-scale invasion in 2022,” he was quoted as saying by AP.The airstrikes coincided with Kyiv Day, a nationwide vacation, turning what’s normally a celebratory event into one in every of mourning. 4 individuals died and 16 had been injured in Kyiv alone, with residential buildings and a dormitory broken by drone particles. “A tough Sunday morning in Ukraine after a sleepless night time,” mentioned International Minister Andrii Sybiha on X.Within the Zhytomyr area, three youngsters aged 8, 12, and 17 had been among the many useless, whereas 4 individuals had been killed in Khmelnytskyi and one in Mykolaiv, emergency officers mentioned. Fires broke out in a number of districts, and within the village of Markhalivka, a number of properties had been levelled. “The road appears like Bakhmut, like Mariupol,” mentioned 76-year-old resident Liubov Fedorenko to AP.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of “deliberate strikes on bizarre cities” and referred to as for more durable sanctions. “With out actually sturdy strain on the Russian management, this brutality can’t be stopped,” he wrote on X.The strikes got here simply hours earlier than Russia and Ukraine performed a 3rd main prisoner change, one of many few indicators of cooperation in in any other case stalled efforts to succeed in a ceasefire.In keeping with Russia’s defence ministry, both sides introduced house 303 extra troopers on Sunday. That adopted the discharge of 307 troopers and civilians on Saturday, and 390 on Friday—making it the biggest such swap in additional than three years of battle. “That is the perfect day,” mentioned Olena, who was reunited along with her husband Yuriy after six months of Russian captivity, in a video shared by Ukraine’s defence ministry.Regardless of these swaps, preventing has not eased. Battles proceed throughout the 1,000-km entrance line. Ukraine mentioned it intercepted 266 drones and 45 missiles, however at the least 22 areas had been nonetheless hit, reported the BBC.In the meantime, Russia claimed it had intercepted over 100 Ukrainian drones in a single day, together with a number of close to Moscow. Drone particles broken buildings in Russia’s Tula area, although no casualties had been reported, based on Reuters.Diplomatic hopes stay faint. Whereas the Istanbul assembly led to the prisoner change, Russia has not accepted ceasefire proposals. Zelenskyy warned, “Russia is dragging out this battle… The world could go on for a weekend, however the battle continues.”
