Machine guns and explosions were heard throughout Kyiv this morning – leaving residents injured as communities scrambled to find shelter in underground subway stations
Kyiv residents were forced to scramble for shelter today after the city came under another huge Russian drone and missile attack.
Explosions and machine guns were heard throughout the Ukrainian capital hours after the country began a major prisoner exchange with Russia, swapping hundreds of soldiers and civilians. It was supposed to be the first phase of a complex exchange designed to attempt to reach a ceasefire in the three-year war.
But the cooperation did not last long, as debris of intercepted missiles and drones fell in at least four city districts in the early hours of this morning. At least six people were taken to hospital with serious injuries, according to acting head of Kyiv military administration, Tymur Tkachenko.
Prior to the attack, city mayor Vitalii Klitschko warned Kyiv residents of more than 20 Russian strike drones heading towards the city of more than 2.9million residents.
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Intelligence analysis had suggested this week Russia was massing assault units near embattled Kharkiv in readiness for a pre-summer bid to breakthrough defences. This morning’s attack, it is feared, is the start of this onslaught.
Debris fell on a shopping mall and a residential building in Obolon, Kyiv, one of today’s worst-hit regions. The nature of the injuries suffered by at least six people is unclear at this stage.
The prisoner swap Friday was the first phase of a complicated deal involving the exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the first phase brought home 390 Ukrainians, with further releases expected over the weekend that will make it the largest swap of the war. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it received the same number from Ukraine.
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The swap 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 authorized to speak publicly. The released Russians were taken to Belarus for medical treatment, the Russian Defense 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. Nataliia Mosych, among the gathered relatives, cried: “Vanya… My husband!”
Yet battles have since continued along the roughly 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) frontline. 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. After a two-hour conversation with Mr Putin, Donald Trump recently tried to take credit for attempted ceasefires.