Russia launched its most extensive aerial attack on Ukraine since the onset of the three-year conflict, targeting the capital and other regions with missiles and drones for the second consecutive night. This intensified aggression prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to publicly criticize the United States for its perceived lack of response.
At least 12 individuals, including children, were reported killed in the widespread attacks across Ukraine, officials stated. Dozens more sustained injuries. Among the fatalities were three children from a single family in the Zhytomyr region, located west of Kyiv, according to Ukraine’s internal affairs minister, Ihor Klymenko. He added that the children’s parents were hospitalized, with the mother in serious condition. The children’s school expressed its condolences on social media.
Russia’s aerial bombardment of Ukraine has intensified recently, coinciding with increased international pressure on President Vladimir Putin to consider a ceasefire proposal.
“Each such terrorist attack by Russia is a sufficient reason for new sanctions against Russia. Russia is dragging out this war and continues to kill every day,” President Zelensky stated on Telegram on Sunday morning. He further commented on the international response, saying, “The world may go on vacation, but the war continues, despite weekends and weekdays. This cannot be ignored. America’s silence, and the silence of others in the world, only encourages Putin.”
The overnight assault on Sunday occurred despite a significant prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, a rare instance of cooperation amidst the ongoing brutal conflict. Ukraine’s Air Force reported that 367 aerial attack weapons were launched across 22 locations in Ukraine, including 69 missiles and 298 drones. They added that Ukrainian forces intercepted 47 of the missiles and 266 drones. Russia’s previous largest aerial attack involved the launch of 273 drones last weekend.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the situation on social media platform X as a “difficult Sunday morning in Ukraine after a sleepless night,” noting that the “most massive Russian air attack in many weeks lasted all night.” In the capital Kyiv, air raid sirens sounded for hours, and residents were urged to remain in shelters as officials reported a second consecutive night of drone and missile attacks. Authorities indicated that civilian buildings in multiple districts sustained damage as a result of the Russian assault. The overnight attack followed another wave of Russian attacks the previous day, which resulted in at least 13 deaths.
In a separate development, over 600 Russian and Ukrainian prisoners were exchanged on Sunday, marking the final phase of a previously agreed upon 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange between the two sides. This exchange was the only notable outcome of a meeting between Kyiv and Moscow in Istanbul last week. Russia’s defense ministry confirmed the exchange of 303 Russian servicemen for an equal number of Ukrainian prisoners of war. Videos shared on social media by President Zelensky and other officials showed released Ukrainian men, with shaved heads, contacting their families by phone while draped in Ukrainian flags.
President Zelensky expressed gratitude to the team that worked to implement the exchange. The Istanbul meeting was initially proposed by President Putin following a ceasefire-or-sanctions ultimatum from Kyiv’s European allies, a move widely interpreted as an attempt by the Kremlin to distract and delay. Despite hopes in Kyiv that the talks would reduce casualties, Russia has since intensified its bombardments.
President Zelensky called on the US and Europe to impose further sanctions on Russia, stating, “Without really strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped.” US President Donald Trump has previously indicated that he would not support new sanctions on Russia, citing a “chance” of progress, though he noted that this stance could change. He has also suggested potential economic incentives upon the war’s conclusion. However, the latest Russian assault is likely to reinforce the perception in Kyiv and among its allies that trade with the US is not a primary concern for President Putin.
Meanwhile, Russia reported that it was also targeted by Ukrainian drones on Sunday. Russia’s defense ministry claimed to have intercepted or destroyed approximately 100 attack drones, with the majority downed over Russia’s central and southern regions, and 13 over the Moscow and Tver regions. A day earlier, the defense ministry claimed the destruction of 94 Ukrainian UAVs over Russian territory, primarily in the Belgorod and Bryansk regions, with some also shot down over the Kursk, Lipetsk, Voronezh, and Tula regions. The governor of the Tula region reported on Saturday that three people were injured in those attacks, including two who were hospitalized.
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