Ukraine War: Russian drones damage Kyiv in 'massive' attack after prisoner swap

ITV News

25-05-2025

A "massive" Russian drone and missile attack hit several regions in Ukraine overnight, leaving 12 dead and dozens injured.
Ukrainian authorities report that Russian drone attacks killed three children in the Kyiv region in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Ukraine's first Deputy Prime Minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, said: "Russia's targets are clear: homes, families, children."
The capital was not the only place hit by Russian drone attacks overnight.
In Mykolaiv, Ukraine's ninth-largest city, a residential building was hit. Local authorities report that a man in his 70s was killed.
Footage from Odesa showed emergency responders trying to extinguish fires as smoke billowed from cars and houses.
Ukraine's air force said it had shot down 45 cruise missiles and took out 266 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) since 20:40 local time (17:40 GMT) on Saturday.
Advice for residents still in Kyiv is to remain in shelters. The city's Mayor, former boxer Vitaliy Klitschko, described it as a "massive" attack.
He said: "Explosions in the city. Air defence forces are working. The capital is under attack by enemy UAVs. Do not neglect your safety! Stay in shelters!"
The attacks came as Russia and Ukraine took part in prisoner swaps agreed after talks between the two sides in Turkey.
The exchange took place at the border with Belarus in northern Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly.
The released Russians were taken to Belarus for medical treatment, the Russian Defence Ministry said.
As the freed men entered the medical facility on Friday, people holding signs and photos of their relatives shouted names or brigade numbers, seeking any news of a loved one.
The exchange comes after the first in-person talks between the two sides in three years, held in Turkey.
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a two-hour phone conversation to discuss a U.S.-backed proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Trump described the call as having gone "very well" and stated that Russia and Ukraine would "immediately start" negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire and bringing the war to an end.
However, Putin has only committed to working with Ukraine on drafting a "memorandum" concerning a "potential future peace," and has not agreed to the proposed 30-day ceasefire.