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Toronto Sun
a day ago
- General
- Toronto Sun
Zelenskyy condemns 'brutal' Russian rocket attack after 3 killed in Ukrainian city
Delegations from the warring sides held talks in Istanbul the day before Published Jun 03, 2025 • 3 minute read In this handout photograph released by the Ukrainian Emergency Service on June 3, 2025, a Ukrainian rescuer extinguishes a burning car following a missile attack in Sumy, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Photo by HANDOUT / AFP KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian attack targeted the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Tuesday, killing at least three people and leaving many injured, officials said. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the assault, saying it underscored that Moscow has no intentions of halting the three-year war. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Ukrainian authorities said a barrage of rockets struck apartment buildings and a medical facility in the center of the northeastern city, a day after direct peace talks made no progress on ending the 3-year war. Delegations from the warring sides held talks in Istanbul on Monday and agreed to swap dead and wounded troops but their terms for ending the war remained far apart. Zelenskyy appeals for pressure on Moscow The Ukrainian president said the attack on Sumy was a 'completely deliberate strike on civilians and that one of the rockets pierced the wall of an apartment building but failed to detonate. 'The Russians brutally struck Sumy — directly targeting the city, ordinary streets — with rocket artillery,' Zelenskyy said. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'That's all you need to know about Russia's 'desire' to end this war,' the Ukrainian president wrote in a post on Telegram. Zelenskyy appealed for global pressure and 'decisive action from the United States, Europe, and everyone in the world who holds power' — without it, he said, Russian President Vladimir Putin 'will not agree even to a ceasefire.' The war has killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations, as well as tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line where the war of attrition is grinding on despite U.S.-led efforts to broker a peace deal. A stunning Ukrainian drone attack Though Russia has a bigger army and more economic resources than Ukraine, a spectacular Ukrainian drone attack over the weekend damaged or destroyed more than 40 warplanes at air bases deep inside Russia, Ukrainian officials said, touting it as a serious blow to the Kremlin's strategic arsenal and its military prestige. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged that the Ukrainian attack set several planes ablaze at two air bases but said that the military repelled attempted attacks on three other air bases. Both Zelenskyy and Putin have been eager to show U.S. President Donald Trump that they share his ambition to end the fighting — and also avoid possible punitive measures from Washington. Ukraine has accepted a U.S.-proposed ceasefire, but the Kremlin effectively rejected it. Putin has made it clear that any peace settlement has to be on his terms. Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president who now serves as deputy head of the country's Security Council chaired by Putin, indicated on Tuesday that there would be no let-up in Russia's invasion of its neighbor. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The Istanbul talks are not for striking a compromise peace on someone else's delusional terms but for ensuring our swift victory and the complete destruction of (Ukraine's government),' he said. In an apparent comment on the latest Ukrainian strikes, he declared that 'retribution is inevitable.' 'Our army is pushing forward and will continue to advance,' Medvedev said, adding that 'everything that needs to be blown up will be blown up, and those who must be eliminated will be.' A Putin-Zelenskyy-Trump meeting 'unlikely' soon, Moscow says Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to suggestions that a face-to-face meeting between Putin, Trump and Zelenskyy could break the deadlock, said the possibility was 'unlikely in the near future.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Meanwhile, a senior Ukrainian delegation led by First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko has travelled to Washington for talks about defense, sanctions and postwar recovery, Andrii Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, said Tuesday. The delegation will meet with representatives from both major U.S. political parties, as well as with advisors to Trump, Yermak added. Ukrainians on the streets of Kyiv welcomed the strikes on Russian air bases but were gloomy about prospects for a peace agreement. 'Russia has invested too many resources in this war to just … stop for nothing,' said serviceman Oleh Nikolenko, 43. Anastasia Nikolenko, a 38-year-old designer, said diplomacy can't stop the fighting. 'We need to show by force, by physical force, that we cannot be defeated,' she said. Russia recently expanded its attacks on Sumy and in the Kharkiv region following Putin's promise to create a buffer zone along the border that might prevent long-range Ukrainian attacks hitting Russian soil. The city of Sumy, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the border, had a prewar population of around 250,000. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed Tuesday its troops had taken the Ukrainian village of Andriivka, close to the border in the Sumy region. Ukraine made no immediate comment on the claim, which could not be independently verified. 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Newsweek
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Zelensky Raises Alarm Over New Russian Offensive: 'Ample Evidence'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. There is "ample evidence" that Russia is preparing to mount a fresh offensive in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, as U.S.-brokered peace talks grind on with few results and U.S. President Donald Trump overtly criticizes Moscow's deadly aerial strikes over the weekend. Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry and the U.S. State Department for comment via email. Why It Matters Kyiv has warned in recent months of Russian troops mounting fresh pushes in the country to strengthen its negotiating position, Ukrainian officials reporting of new Russian efforts in the northeastern Kharkiv and Sumy regions of Ukraine. Analysts say Russia is unlikely to have the resources to carry out large-scale offensives at multiple points along the hundreds of miles of front line this summer but could concentrate more soldiers and equipment at certain points to keep Ukrainian defenses under pressure. What To Know There is "ample evidence" Moscow is "preparing new offensive operations," Zelensky said in his evening address on Monday. "Russia is counting on a prolonged war." In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters extinguish a fire following Russia's air raid in the village of Bilopillya in the Sumy region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters extinguish a fire following Russia's air raid in the village of Bilopillya in the Sumy region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP "This is a blatant disregard for all those around the world who seek peace and are trying to make diplomacy work," Zelensky said. Kyiv has repeatedly said Moscow is delaying signing a ceasefire agreement to bring Europe's largest land conflict since World War II to a close. Ukraine agreed to a U.S.-proposed 30-day comprehensive ceasefire deal back in March. Russia has, so far, refused to sign up to the deal. Talks, pushed by the U.S, have stalled, Trump expressing increasing frustration with Kremlin officials he has suggested could be dragging their feet, while adopting a consistently disparaging tone toward Zelensky. "Russia will seek to intensify offensive operations to build pressure during negotiations, but the pressure cannot be sustained indefinitely," Jack Watling, a senior research fellow with the U.K.'s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank, said earlier this month. There are signs Russia has started a summer offensive already, steadily upping the amount of attacks in eastern Ukraine, Watling said. Much of the fiercest fighting of the war has been concentrated in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, and in recent months, around the strategic hub of Pokrovsk. A Ukrainian military spokesperson said on Sunday Russia had launched small-scale attacks along the Kharkiv border but had not attempted renewed, larger operations in the region. British outlet Sky News had previously reported that up to 50,000 Russian troops were amassing on the Kharkiv border after Moscow successfully dislodged Ukrainian troops from the Russian border region of Kursk, where Kyiv gained a swathe of territory in the summer of 2024. Kursk borders Ukraine's Sumy region, which neighbors Kharkiv. The head of the Sumy region, Oleh Hryhorov, on Tuesday confirmed Russia had captured four settlements. Russia added on Tuesday it had struck Ukrainian positions in several Sumy settlements over the previous day. Russia's activity in Sumy is "the dark side" of Ukraine's operations in Kursk, Ivan Stupak, a former officer with Ukraine's SBU security service, told Newsweek. Ukraine withdrew from Kursk in March. Russia over the weekend dramatically intensified its aerial strikes across Ukraine, launching nearly 300 drones and 69 missiles of different types, including hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles, in overnight strikes into the early hours of Sunday, Ukraine's air force said at the weekend. The strikes killed at least 12 people, according to Ukrainian officials, marking the largest aerial attack on Ukraine of the war. The following day, the Ukrainian military said Russia had launched another 355 drones and nine cruise missiles overnight. The strikes drew ire from Trump, denouncing Russian President Vladimir Putin in an unusually critical statement as "absolutely CRAZY!" "I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him," Trump said in a post to Truth Social late on Sunday, after the waves of Russian strikes. What People Are Saying Trump said on Sunday: "Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever." The Kremlin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, called Trump's comments criticizing Putin on Sunday "emotional overstrain," and praised Trump's negotiating efforts. What Happens Next It's not clear whether Trump's senior officials will be able to make any headway in negotiations with Russia on a ceasefire.
Gulf Today
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Russia launches war's largest air attack on Ukraine, kills at least 12 people
Russian forces launched a barrage of 367 drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities overnight, including the capital Kyiv, in the largest aerial attack of the war so far, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more, officials said. The dead included three children in the northern region of Zhytomyr, local officials there said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on the United States, which has taken a softer public line on Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, since President Donald Trump took office, to speak out. "The silence of America, the silence of others in the world only encourages Putin," he wrote on Telegram. "Every such terrorist Russian strike is reason enough for new sanctions against Russia." A resident inspects cars destroyed in a residential area during a Russian drone strike, in Odesa, Ukraine. Reuters It was the largest attack of the war in terms of weapons fired, although other strikes have killed more people. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said 12 people had been killed and 60 more wounded. Earlier death tolls given separately by regional authorities and rescuers had put the number of dead at 13. An explosion of a drone lights up the sky over the city during a Russian drone strike. Reuters "This was a combined, ruthless strike aimed at civilians. The enemy once again showed that its goal is fear and death," he wrote on Telegram. The assault comes as Ukraine and Russia prepared to conduct the third and final day of a prisoner swap in which both sides will exchange a total of 1000 people each. US Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg said on Sunday the attack was "a clear violation" of the 1977 Geneva Peace Protocols and called for an immediate ceasefire. CEASEFIRE EFFORTS Ukraine and its European allies have sought to push Moscow into signing a 30-day ceasefire as a first step to negotiating an end to the three-year war. In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, private houses are seen ruined after Russian drones attack in Kyiv region. AP Their efforts suffered a blow earlier this week when Trump declined to place further sanctions on Moscow for not agreeing to an immediate pause in fighting, as Kyiv had wanted. Ukraine's air force said Russia had launched 298 drones and 69 missiles in its overnight assault, although it said it was able to down 266 drones and 45 missiles. Damage extended to a string of regional centres, including Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, as well as Mykolaiv in the south and Ternopil in the west. In Kyiv, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city's military administration, said 11 people were injured in drone strikes. No deaths were reported in the capital, although four were killed in the region around the city, according to officials. This was the second large aerial attack in two days. Reuters
Western Telegraph
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Western Telegraph
Russia and Ukraine swap prisoners hours after largest air attack of war
Hours earlier on Sunday, the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and other regions came under a massive Russian drone-and-missile attack that killed at least 12 people and injured dozens. Ukrainian officials described it as the largest aerial assault since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. A local resident cries standing amid the rubble of her house ruined after Russia's air attack in Khmelnytskyi region (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP) Russia's Defence Ministry said each side brought home 303 more soldiers, after each released a total of 307 combatants and civilians on Saturday, and 390 on Friday — the biggest swap of the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the exchange, saying on X on Sunday that '303 Ukrainian defenders are home'. He noted that the troops returning to Ukraine were members of the 'Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and the State Special Transport Service'. Nataliya Borovyk, the sister of released Ukrainian soldier Ihor Ulesov, was overwhelmed when she learned of her brother's return. 'My uncle had to calm me down and put me in a taxi so I could get here,' she told The Associated Press. 'A moment like that stays with you forever.' Ukrainian serviceman Vitaly kisses his wife, Olena, after returning from captivity during a POWs exchange between Russia and Ukraine (Efrem Lukatsky/AP) Ms Borovyk said the family had been waiting anxiously for news, and that she had hoped her brother might be released in the first part of the exchange on Friday. 'We were worried about all the guys. He wasn't there on Friday, but I was here — I at least greeted them, I stood there until the very end and waited, (hoping) maybe he would appear after all.' In talks held in Istanbul earlier this month — the first time the two sides met face to face for peace talks — Kyiv and Moscow agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war and civilian detainees each. The exchange has been the only tangible outcome from the talks. – The largest aerial attack of the war The scale of the onslaught in Sunday's attack was stunning — Russia hit Ukraine with 367 drones and missiles, the largest single aerial attack of the war, according to Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Air Force. In all, Russia used 69 missiles of various types and 298 drones, including Iranian-designed Shahed drones, he told The Associated Press. There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the strikes. For Kyiv, the day was particularly sombre as the city observed Kyiv Day, a national holiday that falls on the last Sunday in May, commemorating its founding in the fifth century. Mr Zelensky said Russian missiles and drones hit more than 30 cities and villages, and urged Western partners to ramp up sanctions on Russia — a longstanding demand of the Ukrainian leader but one that despite warnings to Moscow by the US and Europe has not materialised in ways to deter Russia. Firefighters search for victims following a Russian air attack in Zhitomir region, Ukraine (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP) 'These were deliberate strikes on ordinary cities,' Mr Zelensky wrote on X, adding that Sunday's targets included Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Chernihiv, Sumy, Odesa, Poltava, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Cherkasy regions. 'America's silence, the silence of others in the world, only encourages' Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said. 'Without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped. Sanctions will certainly help.' Russia's Defence Ministry, meanwhile, said its air defences shot down 110 Ukrainian drones overnight. – Another 'sleepless night' Sounds of explosions boomed throughout the night in Kyiv and the surrounding area as Ukrainian air defence persisted for hours in efforts to shoot down Russian drones and missiles. At least four people were killed and 16 were injured in the capital itself, according to the security service. 'A difficult Sunday morning in Ukraine after a sleepless night,' Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X, adding that the assault 'lasted all night'. Fires broke out in homes and businesses, set off by falling drone debris. In Zhytomyr region, west of Kyiv, the emergency service said three children were killed, aged 8, 12 and 17. Twelve people were injured in the attacks, it said. Firefighters search for victims following a Russian air attack in the Khmelnytskyi region, Ukraine (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP) At least four people were killed in the Khmelnytskyi region, in western Ukraine. One man was killed in Mykolaiv region, in southern Ukraine. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said a student dormitory in Holosiivskyi district was hit by a drone and one of the building's walls was on fire. In Dniprovskyi district, a private house was destroyed and in Shevchenkivskyi district, windows in a residential building were smashed. The scale of Russia's use of aerial weapons aside, the attacks over the past 48 hours have been among the most intense strikes on Ukraine since the February 2022 invasion. – A village engulfed in smoke and rubble In Markhalivka, just outside Kyiv where several village homes were burned down, the Fedorenkos watched their ruined home in tears. 'The street looks like Bakhmut, like Mariupol, it's just terrible,' said 76-year-old Liubov Fedorenko, comparing their village to some of Ukraine's most devastated cities. She told the AP she was grateful her daughter and grandchildren had not joined them for the weekend. 'I was trying to persuade my daughter to come to us,' Ms Fedorenko said, adding that she told her daughter, 'After all, you live on the eighth floor in Kyiv, and here it's the ground floor'. 'She said, 'No, mum, I'm not coming'. And thank God she didn't come, because the rocket hit (the house) on the side where the children's rooms were,' Ms Fedorenko said. Ivan Fedorenko, 80, said he regrets letting their two dogs into the house when the air raid siren went off. 'They burned to death,' he said. 'I want to bury them, but I'm not allowed yet.' – Despite POW swaps, no let up in the war The POW exchange was the latest of scores of swaps since the war began but also the biggest involving Ukrainian civilians. Still, it has not halted the fighting. Battles have continued along the roughly 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) front line, where tens of thousands of soldiers have been killed, and neither country has relented in its deep strikes. Russia's Defence Ministry quoted Yaroslav Yakimkin of the 'North' group of Russian forces as saying on Sunday that Ukrainian troops have been pushed back from the border in the Kursk region, which Putin visited days ago. 'The troops continue to advance forward every day,' Mr Yakimkin said, adding that Russian forces have taken Marine and Loknya in Ukraine's north-eastern Sumy region, which borders Kursk, over the past week, and were advancing in the Kharkiv region around the largely destroyed town of Vovchansk. Speaking on Russian state TV on Sunday, a Russian serviceman said that Mr Putin was reportedly flying over the Kursk region in a helicopter when the area came under intense Ukrainian drone attack during his visit. Mr Putin's helicopter was 'virtually at the epicentre of repelling a large-scale attack by the enemy's drones,' said Yuri Dashkin, described as commander of a Russian air defence division. He added that Russian air defence units shot down 46 drones during the incident.
South Wales Argus
25-05-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Russia and Ukraine swap prisoners hours after largest air attack of war
Hours earlier on Sunday, the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and other regions came under a massive Russian drone-and-missile attack that killed at least 12 people and injured dozens. Ukrainian officials described it as the largest aerial assault since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. A local resident cries standing amid the rubble of her house ruined after Russia's air attack in Khmelnytskyi region (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP) Russia's Defence Ministry said each side brought home 303 more soldiers, after each released a total of 307 combatants and civilians on Saturday, and 390 on Friday — the biggest swap of the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the exchange, saying on X on Sunday that '303 Ukrainian defenders are home'. He noted that the troops returning to Ukraine were members of the 'Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and the State Special Transport Service'. In talks held in Istanbul earlier this month — the first time the two sides met face to face for peace talks — Kyiv and Moscow agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war and civilian detainees each. The exchange has been the only tangible outcome from the talks. – The largest aerial attack of the war The scale of the onslaught in Sunday's attack was stunning — Russia hit Ukraine with 367 drones and missiles, the largest single aerial attack of the war, according to Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Air Force. In all, Russia used 69 missiles of various types and 298 drones, including Iranian-designed Shahed drones, he told The Associated Press. There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the strikes. For Kyiv, the day was particularly sombre as the city observed Kyiv Day, a national holiday that falls on the last Sunday in May, commemorating its founding in the fifth century. Mr Zelensky said Russian missiles and drones hit more than 30 cities and villages, and urged Western partners to ramp up sanctions on Russia — a longstanding demand of the Ukrainian leader but one that despite warnings to Moscow by the US and Europe has not materialised in ways to deter Russia. Firefighters search for victims following a Russian air attack in Zhitomir region, Ukraine (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP) 'These were deliberate strikes on ordinary cities,' Mr Zelensky wrote on X, adding that Sunday's targets included Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Chernihiv, Sumy, Odesa, Poltava, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Cherkasy regions. 'America's silence, the silence of others in the world, only encourages' Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said. 'Without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped. Sanctions will certainly help.' Russia's Defence Ministry, meanwhile, said its air defences shot down 110 Ukrainian drones overnight. – Another 'sleepless night' Sounds of explosions boomed throughout the night in Kyiv and the surrounding area as Ukrainian air defence persisted for hours in efforts to shoot down Russian drones and missiles. At least four people were killed and 16 were injured in the capital itself, according to the security service. 'A difficult Sunday morning in Ukraine after a sleepless night,' Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X, adding that the assault 'lasted all night'. Fires broke out in homes and businesses, set off by falling drone debris. In Zhytomyr region, west of Kyiv, the emergency service said three children were killed, aged 8, 12 and 17. Twelve people were injured in the attacks, it said. Firefighters search for victims following a Russian air attack in the Khmelnytskyi region, Ukraine (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP) At least four people were killed in the Khmelnytskyi region, in western Ukraine. One man was killed in Mykolaiv region, in southern Ukraine. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said a student dormitory in Holosiivskyi district was hit by a drone and one of the building's walls was on fire. In Dniprovskyi district, a private house was destroyed and in Shevchenkivskyi district, windows in a residential building were smashed. The scale of Russia's use of aerial weapons aside, the attacks over the past 48 hours have been among the most intense strikes on Ukraine since the February 2022 invasion. – A village engulfed in smoke and rubble In Markhalivka, just outside Kyiv where several village homes were burned down, the Fedorenkos watched their ruined home in tears. 'The street looks like Bakhmut, like Mariupol, it's just terrible,' said 76-year-old Liubov Fedorenko, comparing their village to some of Ukraine's most devastated cities. She told the AP she was grateful her daughter and grandchildren had not joined them for the weekend. 'I was trying to persuade my daughter to come to us,' Ms Fedorenko said, adding that she told her daughter, 'After all, you live on the eighth floor in Kyiv, and here it's the ground floor'. 'She said, 'No, mum, I'm not coming'. And thank God she didn't come, because the rocket hit (the house) on the side where the children's rooms were,' Ms Fedorenko said. Ivan Fedorenko, 80, said he regrets letting their two dogs into the house when the air raid siren went off. 'They burned to death,' he said. 'I want to bury them, but I'm not allowed yet.' – Despite POW swaps, no let up in the war The POW exchange was the latest of scores of swaps since the war began but also the biggest involving Ukrainian civilians. Still, it has not halted the fighting. Battles have continued along the roughly 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) front line, where tens of thousands of soldiers have been killed, and neither country has relented in its deep strikes. Russia's Defence Ministry quoted Yaroslav Yakimkin of the 'North' group of Russian forces as saying on Sunday that Ukrainian troops have been pushed back from the border in the Kursk region, which Putin visited days ago. 'The troops continue to advance forward every day,' Mr Yakimkin said, adding that Russian forces have taken Marine and Loknya in Ukraine's north-eastern Sumy region, which borders Kursk, over the past week, and were advancing in the Kharkiv region around the largely destroyed town of Vovchansk. Speaking on Russian state TV on Sunday, a Russian serviceman said that Mr Putin was reportedly flying over the Kursk region in a helicopter when the area came under intense Ukrainian drone attack during his visit. Mr Putin's helicopter was 'virtually at the epicentre of repelling a large-scale attack by the enemy's drones,' said Yuri Dashkin, described as commander of a Russian air defence division. He added that Russian air defence units shot down 46 drones during the incident.
