Russia and Ukraine ‘swap hundreds more prisoners' hours after Kyiv strike
Russia and Ukraine have swapped hundreds more prisoners, according to the Russian defence ministry.
The move is part of a major swap that marks a rare moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire.
The ministry in Moscow said each side brought home 307 more soldiers, a day after each released a total of 390 combatants and civilians. There was no immediate confirmation from the Ukrainian side.
The announcement was made hours after Kyiv suffered a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack that left at least 15 people injured, according to local officials.
Explosions and machine gun fire were heard throughout Kyiv from Friday night into Saturday morning as many people sought shelter in subway stations.
In talks held in Istanbul earlier this month that marked the first time the two sides met face-to-face for peace talks since Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war and civilian detainees each.
Russia attacked Ukraine with 14 ballistic missiles and 250 Shahed drones overnight, officials said, adding that Ukrainian forces shot down six missiles and neutralised 245 drones – with 128 drones shot down and 117 thwarted using electronic warfare.
The Kyiv City Military Administration said it was one of the biggest combined missile and drone attacks on the capital.
Drones also hit targets near Kharkiv (Anatolii Lysianskyi/Ukraine's 127th Separate Brigade via AP)
'A difficult night for all of us,' the administration said in a statement.
The debris of intercepted missiles and drones fell in at least six city districts of the Ukrainian capital.
According to the acting head of Kyiv's military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, six people required medical care after the attack and two fires were sparked in the Solomianskyi district of Kyiv.
The Obolon district, where a residential building was heavily damaged in the attack, was the hardest hit. There were at least five people injured in the area, the administration said.
Drones and missiles were used in the attack (AP)
Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, warned residents ahead of the attack that more than 20 Russian strike drones were heading toward the city. As the attack continued, he said drone debris fell on a shopping mall and a residential building in Obolon district of Kyiv. Emergency services were headed to the site, Mr Klitschko said.
The prisoner exchange has not heralded a halt in the fighting.
Battles continued along the roughly 620-mile front line, where tens of thousands of soldiers have been killed, and neither country has relented in its deep strikes.
European leaders have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet in peace efforts while he tries to press his larger army's battlefield initiative and capture more Ukrainian land.
Kyiv residents took shelter in subway stations such as Kontraktova Ploshcha (AP)
The Istanbul meeting revealed that both sides remain far apart on key conditions for ending the fighting. One such condition for Ukraine, backed by its Western allies, is a temporary ceasefire as a first step toward a peaceful settlement.
Russia's defence ministry said it had shot down 788 Ukrainian drones away from the battlefield between May 20 and May 23.
Ukraine's air force said Russia fired 175 Shahed and decoy drones, as well as a ballistic missile since late Thursday.
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Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
"A country can't fight on empty stomachs": the importance of a mobile bakery in Ukraine
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Felicity Spector, a London-based TV news journalist and food influencer, wanted to help, not least because her paternal grandparents left Dnipro for London in the early 1900s, forced into exile by the wave of pogroms sweeping the Russian Empire. Not wanting to just be 'sitting at home, thinking, 'This is awful',' she got practical. Having been in touch with a Kyiv-based bakery for a potential news item, Spector subsequently found out 'that their warehouse had been bombed and they'd lost all their equipment and spare ingredients: Everything'. Her passion for food blogging meant she knew many London bakery owners, who, she felt, might have old or unused equipment they'd be willing to donate. Her hunch was bang on. 'Anna, who ran the bakery in Kyiv, gave me a list, and within 48 hours I'd found all of it.' A friend put Spector in touch with charity Sunflower Aid, 'and they said, 'OK, let's fill up the vans with all this stuff and drive to Ukraine'.' Spector provided 'the in-car entertainment' as they drove from London to Kyiv with the equipment and supplies, which the bakery then used to make free bread for people in need. While in Ukraine, she heard about Bake for Ukraine, a non-profit run by volunteers. 'It was working with very small bakeries, making free bread for communities that needed it. I thought, 'Wow'. I really wanted to do what I could for them, so that's how that relationship started.' Bake for Ukraine was co-founded by Odesa-born food writer and chef Maria Kalenska, who is, Spector says, 'Very passionate about spreading knowledge about Ukrainian bread culture.' Ukraine has long been known as the 'bread basket of Europe', with its blue-and-yellow flag symbolising the country's endless golden wheatfields under a vivid blue sky. 'They've always had amazing quality wheat, rye, and sunflower seeds, so, obviously, you make bread,' Spector says. 'Ukraine has a history of bread-making and many traditions and holidays are marked by specific breads.' When Spector met Kalenska, the Ukrainian was searching for a mobile bakery. The power cuts of the winter of 2022 had highlighted the need for flexibility in getting bread to people enduring prolonged blackouts and Kalenska had a specific vehicle in mind: A Swiss military mobile bakery built during the Cold War, 100 of which had been donated by a charity to Ukraine 20 years ago. Most had since been stripped for parts, but Kalenska located one in good condition near to her home city of Odesa. Spector set up a JustGiving page, which, in a matter of days, had reached £15,000 (she later discovered that British food critic Jay Rayner had posted the link on his Sunday food column, 'one of the many acts of incredible kindness we've witnessed on our bakery journey'). Spector travelled to Izmil with the Bake for Ukraine team to purchase the truck. They brought everything needed to bake test loaves of bread, including a precious sourdough starter of Kalenska's. Eleven hours after they arrived — sourdough takes time — they were tucking in to buttery, warm slices of bread, with the rest of the day's loaves packed up, ready to be donated to a local national guard unit. It would still need to be transported and serviced, but the mobile bakery was ready. A SYMBOL OF UKRAINIAN IDENTITY Spector has since travelled to Ukraine many times, using up all her holidays and taking unpaid leave to volunteer with Bake for Ukraine. She has documented many of her encounters in her book, Bread & War, 'a collection of stories about people who work or volunteer in food and how they've kept the country going during the full-scale war'. Bake for Ukraine's refurbished mobile bakery is based in Mykolaiv — a war-torn city that's still subject to kamikaze drone attacks — where it supplies bread to villagers close to the front line. The mobile bakers make sourdough palyanytsya, a bread that's become 'a kind of symbol of Ukrainian identity', says Spector, explaining that due to phonetic differences between the Ukrainian and Russian languages, Russians cannot pronounce the word for the traditional Ukrainian round loaf. At the beginning of the invasion, 'palyanytsya' became a shibboleth, a way of identifying enemy agents. If you couldn't say it, you were under suspicion; if you could, you were likely trustworthy. Kalenska told Spector she chose 'palyanytsya' for the mobile bakeries because of its heritage. 'She said 'We know this is our part of our soul. This is who we are. We are honouring the wheat and we're making something which is really beautiful'.' It's also practical: The bread, a rich recipe of flour, milk, water, butter, sugar, and salt, keeps for more than a week and receiving it is emotional for people living in devastated regions. Bread and War by Felicity Spector In Bread & War, Spector writes, 'On one trip to a badly damaged village, a woman was so delighted to see some proper Ukrainian palyanytsya that she held it to her face for several minutes, smelling and kissing the loaf over and over again.' The legacy of the Holodomor, the Stalin-induced famine of the 1930s, means in Ukraine that bread is never wasted, Spector says. 'Nobody would throw away even a crust of bread, because their grandparents said 'No, you can't, we had to eat grass. We would never waste anything. You can't throw away bread. It's valuable'.' The mobile bakery was producing 200 loaves of nutritious sourdough daily, but thanks to a recent volunteer from the Netherlands bringing a new, more efficient mixer, the output of loaves has doubled. A US grant means the volunteers can be paid, Spector says, and two more refurbished mobile bakeries are just about ready to go, thanks to fund-raising efforts by Stateside bakeries. Ukrainians aren't 'sitting around' waiting for Westerners to come and help, though. 'They're getting on with it,' Spector says. 'There's this really strong community spirit. Obviously, there's this terrible thing that's happening, but it has brought people together, and even though they are living through horrific times, lots of people somehow find the energy to do something for someone who's even worse off.' FORGET ABOUT WAR FOR A MINUTE Felicity Spector, author of Bread and War: 'I feel really invested in continuing to be there and to be helping as much as I can. I love seeing my friends and the sense of being connected with them.' One such person is Natalia, whom Spector met at the end of 2022 while travelling on a charity mission with Dmytro, a drummer with pop group Antytila. (The group, who gave up their musical careers to enlist, collaborated with Ed Sheeran on a remix of his hit, 2Step, to raise money for the charity they set up in 2014, when Crimea was illegally annexed by Russia.) Natalia, who'd run a small shop and café before the war, had begun making simple food for the Ukrainian troops who'd stopped for coffee at the remote outpost in the Dnipropetrovsk region on their way to the front line. Her volunteer-run kitchen now feeds 2,000 to 3,000 people daily, and also provides washing machines, so muddy, weary soldiers can launder their clothes. Natalia, whose son is serving in the army, told Spector, 'I want them to be able to sit next to each other and talk to each other over some food. They can forget about war for a minute and just have something nourishing that's been made by hand.' Bread & War is replete with such stories of resilience and hope, struggle and sustenance, innovation, and tradition. Spector is bringing copies with her when she returns to Ukraine in a few weeks' time. 'I want to give a book to everybody who has helped me out,' she says. 'I feel really invested in continuing to be there and to be helping as much as I can. I love seeing my friends and the sense of being connected with them.' There are many more Ukrainian stories for her to tell. Bread & War by Felicity Spector, published by Duckworth, is out now Read More Louise O'Neill among writers pushing the boundaries of theatre at Cork Midsummer Festival
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Putin could attack Nato by 2030, alliance boss warns as ‘Europe needs to build its own Golden Dome defence system'
VLADIMIR Putin could launch an assault on NATO by 2030, an alliance chief has warned. 6 The NATO chief warned the end of the war in Ukraine won't stop the Russian threat Credit: AP 6 The alliance boss warned of Russia's threat to the UK and other European countries Credit: Getty 6 Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke about Russia's looming threat at Chatham House Credit: PA The NATO head said that the alliance would need to take a "quantum leap" in building up its defence systems as Speaking at the world-leading policy institute, Chatham House, he urged European leaders to increase their air and missile defence capabilities by a staggering 400 per cent. Europe should also be prepared to protect its skies, as He said: "The fact is, we need a quantum leap in our collective defence. "The fact is, we must have more forces and capabilities to implement our "The fact is, danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends." In an urgent plea to leaders, he called for militaries to be armed with thousands more vehicles and tanks, and millions more artillery shells. He also insisted allies double their resources supporting military power including logistics, transport and medical aid. Most read in The Sun Terrifyingly, Rutte also hinted at a potential triple threat - with Mad Vlad teaming up with despot leaders in China, North Korea and Russia currently produces in three months what the whole of NATO produces in a year, he said. Russia's ambassador to the UK 'blames Britain' for Ukraine's daring drone attack & warns of 'WWIII risk' China is also modernising and expanding its military, with its battle force expected to increase to 435 ships by 2030. He warned: "Wishful thinking will not keep us safe. We cannot dream away the danger. "Hope is not a strategy. So NATO has to become a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance." The alliance chief's comments came as he pushed for NATO members to commit to ramping up defence spending at a key summit of the western military alliance later this month. Rutte is urging NATO members to commit to 3.5 percent of GDP on direct military spending by 2032, and an additional 1.5 percent on broader security-related expenditure. The proposal is a compromise deal designed to satisfy US President Donald Trump, who has demanded that allies each spend 5 percent of economic output on defence, up from a current commitment of two percent. Rutte said he "expects" leaders to agree to the proposal at the summit of the 32-country alliance on June 24-25 in The Hague. 6 The Israeli Iron Dome air defence system has protected the state from missile attacks Credit: AP 6 Donald Trump recently unveiled plans to build a Golden Dome over America "It will be a NATO-wide commitment and a defining moment for the alliance," he said in his speech. Russia condemned Rutte's comments before he took to the stage, denouncing NATO as "an instrument of aggression". NATO "is demonstrating itself as an instrument of aggression and confrontation", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow. This follows Rutte's meeting with the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer - their second Downing Street talk since the Labour leader came into power last year. Starmer's government this year pledged to increase defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027, but has not yet set a firm timeline for further hikes. Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada would hit two percent this year. US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said last week the allies were close to an agreement on the split five-percent target . "That combination constitutes a real commitment, and we think every country can step up," he said on Thursday. Space rockets & hypersonic interceptors…Trump unveils half-a-trillion dollar Golden Dome air defence to be ready by 2029 DONALD Trump has unveiled plans for a high-tech "Golden Dome" missile defence system, which the president claims should be operational by the end of his term in office. The futuristic concept announced by Trump would see American weapons put in space for the first time ever. Trump had already signalled his intent to set up a Golden Dome following his return to the White House, calling missile attacks the "most catastrophic threat facing the United States". The idea is modelled on Israel's Iron Dome defence system, which uses radar to detect incoming missiles and calculates which ones pose a threat to populated areas. But the Golden Dome would be an infinitely bigger project, not least because the United States is more than 400 times larger than Israel. During his announcement in the Oval Office yesterday, Trump said his new Golden Dome would be "capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from the other side of the world". NATO members have been scrambling to bolster their defence capabilities since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Trump's return to the White House in January, and question marks over his commitment to European security, has added urgency. Rutte warned: "Danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends. "We must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defence plans in full." Read more on the Irish Sun He added that if countries cannot commit to 5 percent for defence spending "you could still have the National Health Service, or in other countries, their health systems, the pension system, etc, but you better learn to speak Russian. I mean, that's the consequence". Britain announced plans last week to build up to 12 nuclear-powered attack submarines and six munitions factories to rearm the country in response to what it said were threats from Russia. 6 He urged Europe to build its own Golden Dome Credit: SWNS
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Elon Musk's estranged dad Errol hails Russia as the ‘peak of civilisation' & gushes over Putin at staged Moscow event
TESLA tycoon Elon Musk's estranged dad Errol has hailed Russia as the "peak of civilisation" - and even gushed over mad Vladimir Putin. , 79, made the explosive remarks in Moscow where he appeared at a Kremlin -backed event organised by the Russian dictator's inner circle. 8 Elon Musk's estranged dad Errol hailed Russia as the 'peak of civilisation' Credit: X 8 He made the explosive remarks in Moscow where he appeared at a Kremlin-backed event organised by Putin's inner circle. Credit: X 8 US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk (R) speak before departing the White House two months ago Credit: AFP It comes just days after his billionaire son's high-profile alliance with the US President imploded in a fierce online feud . Musk Snr took part in the Tsargrad propaganda forum where he bizarrely declared Moscow the "best capital" in the world. Marking his first time in Russia, Errol said: "I think the image that people give to us in the West of Russia is completely wrong. "Russia is wonderful, it's absolutely amazing. He added how it was "quite clear" that Moscow was better than any other city across the globe. Not only did the South African businessman praise Russia however, but also its mad leader Putin and, in turn, challenged the West's portrayal of him and his country. Errol said: "I think [Putin] is a very impressive man - he's proved that. A very stable, impressive man. "As for the perception of Russia, it's very wrong." Most read in The US Sun He added: "So the perception in America by the media, I will call it the fake media, is that Russia is a bad place and its full of very bad people, and they're all going to kill you to come here, which is complete nonsense." He explained how he was coming to Russia with his daughter Alexandra - but his sons told her that she musn't go "under any circumstances". And after Errol himself claims to have been given warnings on going to Moscow, he said he "arrived here, and the first thing I saw was a perfect total civilisation in every direction." He added: "I see a city that easily rivals ancient Rome. "And probably, I made a comment to somebody earlier, it's by far not by a little but by far the premier capital city in the world." Errol also discussed his estranged Tesla tycoon son Elon and his astronautics exploration company SpaceX - but credited Russia as originally being the "leader" of space engineering before his son "took over". He said it "all started off with the Russian attempts" which he said were "quite amazing". Just a day ago, speaking of the explosive feud between Elon and US President Trump, from his turbulent stint in Washington . He said: 'So at the moment, Elon is inclined to say that he's made a mistake.' 'Trump will prevail. He's the president, he was elected as the president. 'Elon made a mistake, I think, but he's tired, he's stressed. 8 Errol is currently in Moscow to appear at a Kremlin-backed forum 8 Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on Russia's language policy at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence Credit: AFP 8 Elon Musk and Donald Trump's bromance is now beyond repair 8 Elon Musk, wearing two hats, speaks during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House Credit: AFP 8 "They are all suffering from a bit of PTSD, a post-traumatic stress disorder over the last few months, they started hitting out at each other. 'And then in the end, it's just him and Trump left… They still don't know what to do, so they fight with each other until they can come to normal conditions.' And in response to a question from a Russian propaganda publication on how to "raise a genius," Errol said that a child needed to be "spanked a lot". Errol's ex-wife and Elon's mum Maye accused him of beating her during their marriage. She also once revealed that Elon tried to stand up for her during one of the beatings as a child. Errol has always denied being abusive to his ex-wife. Errol will speak at the Future Forum 2050, organised by Malofeev and Putin ideologist and 'philosopher' Alexander Dugin. Meanwhile, Russia appears eager to capitalize on Musk's estrangement from the US political elite. Putin crony Dmitry Medvedev cheekily offered to mediate peace talks between 'D and E' — Trump and Elon— 'for a reasonable fee and to accept Starlink shares as payment.' Another Kremlin loyalist, ex-space chief Dmitry Rogozin, publicly offered Musk asylum. 'You are respected in Russia. If you encounter insurmountable problems in the US, come to us and become one of us,' Rogozin wrote. Russia would offer him 'reliable comrades and complete freedom of technical creativity'. TRUMP FALLOUT The world's richest man Musk — who reportedly donated $288 million to Trump's 2024 campaign and briefly served as a White House aide — has now turned on the president over his sweeping tax and spending bill. Elon even claimed on X that Trump was tied to disgraced paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, Their bromance is now beyond repair. Read more on the Irish Sun On Sunday, Trump confirmed to NBC that he has no interest in making amends: 'I would assume so, yeah,' he said when asked if their relationship was over. 'I have no intention of speaking to him.' The former allies have been - throwing . What is Elon & Errol's relationship? By Annabel Bate, Foreign News Reporter ERROL Musk and his son Elon have a very turbulent relationship, characterised by estrangement. Elon has describd his dad as a "terrible human being" and "evil" in the past. Meanwhile Errol has called his Tesla tycoon son a "spoilt child". Errol's ex-wife and Elon Musk's mum Maye accused him of beating her during their marriage. She also once revealed that Elon tried to stand up for her during one of the beatings as a child. Errol has always denied being abusive to his ex-wife. After his parents divorced, Elon initially went to live with his mother in Canada. But he was sent back to South Africa to live with Errol just a year later. Errol said the split had a big impact on Elon's mental state at the time. He was very unsure of himself," the 77-year-old said. "Until he was 12 he slept with me in the main bedroom on my big double bed. "He had his own room but I never told him to go to his room." Although there were struggles, the Musks were never short on money during Elon's youth. "It was a privileged world," said Errol, who was the part owner of an emerald mine.
