At least eight people were injured in a drone and missile assault on Kyiv on Saturday, city officials confirmed, as Russia and Ukraine carried out a significant prisoner exchange.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s civil and military administration, reported multiple fires and debris scattered across the capital following overnight explosions heard by AFP journalists.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said two of the wounded were hospitalized. “The capital and surrounding region are under heavy enemy attack once again. Air defense systems are actively engaged over Kyiv and its suburbs,” he posted on Telegram.
Meanwhile, Russia claimed that since Tuesday, Ukraine had launched 788 drones and missiles against Russian forces, of which 776 were intercepted.
The attacks coincided with the first phase of a prisoner swap negotiated in Istanbul last week, with each side exchanging 390 detainees so far.
The full agreement plans to swap 1,000 prisoners each over three days—marking the largest exchange since the war began.
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Following the swap, Russia indicated it would propose peace terms to Ukraine, though details remain undisclosed.
At a hospital in northern Ukraine’s Chernihiv region, released Ukrainian soldiers appeared thin but hopeful, greeted by tearful family members and supporters waving the national blue and yellow flag.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the swap’s completion on social media, calling it the “first stage” of the agreement.
The prisoner exchange offers a rare moment of humanitarian progress amid escalating conflict and ongoing military assaults on Kyiv.