Russian drone and missile attacks kill children and civilians in Ukraine’s capital and beyond, as prisoner exchange offers rare hope amid ongoing conflict
A devastating Russian drone and missile assault rocked Ukraine overnight, killing at least 12 people—including children—and injuring dozens more, officials confirmed on Sunday. The widespread attacks came amid ongoing, yet stalled, peace talks and shortly before Russia and Ukraine completed a major prisoner exchange.
Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, described the assault as “another night of terror,” condemning Russia’s deliberate targeting of homes, families, and children. Among the victims were three children aged 8, 12, and 17 killed in the Zhytomyr region, with further casualties reported in Kyiv, Khmelnytskyi, and Mykolaiv.
Ukraine’s air force reported one of the largest aerial attacks since the 2022 invasion, with 298 drones and 69 missiles launched by Russia. Ukrainian defences intercepted 266 drones and 45 missiles, but many still caused significant damage.
Kyiv endured a “massive” attack, said Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko, who urged residents to stay in shelters as explosions lit up the night sky. A student dormitory caught fire in the Holosiivskyi district, and a private home was destroyed in Dniprovskyi. The capital’s security service reported at least four deaths in Kyiv itself.
Other regions suffered too. Mykolaiv saw a residential building struck by a drone, leaving one dead and five wounded. Emergency teams battled fires in Odesa amid reports of widespread destruction.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attacks, calling on the US and global leaders to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. “America’s silence, and the silence of others in the world, only encourages Putin,” Zelenskyy said.
Despite the violence, Russia claimed it thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack near Moscow, destroying around 100 drones without casualties.
The attacks came hours before a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine concluded on Sunday. The swap involved 1,000 prisoners from each side, including 120 civilians, marking a rare cooperative moment in the war.
As the conflict continues to ravage towns and cities across Ukraine, Zelenskyy stressed the urgent need for “air defence, sanctions and pressure” to end Russia’s relentless assaults on civilian targets.
