Russia and Ukraine Between Fire and Negotiation: Missiles in the Sky and Exchanges on the Ground

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A new wave of prisoner exchanges is expected between Russia and Ukraine, but the faint light coming from the negotiation rooms has not silenced the roar of mutual shelling.

At least eight people were injured in a massive Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv on Saturday morning, coinciding with the launch of the second phase of a record-breaking prisoner exchange between the warring sides.

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“The capital and its surrounding region are once again under massive attack by the enemy. Air defense systems are operating continuously in Kyiv and its outskirts,” said Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Telegram.

He confirmed that at least eight people were wounded—two were hospitalized, while others received on-site medical treatment.

AFP journalists reported hearing explosions overnight. According to Kyiv’s civil and military authorities, multiple fires broke out and missile and drone debris fell on residential areas across the city.

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On Friday, two people were killed in Russian strikes on the southern port city of Odesa, and three others in the Kherson region, also in the south.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that Ukraine had launched 788 drones and missiles against Russian territory since Tuesday, with 776 intercepted and destroyed.

A New Phase in Prisoner Swaps

These attacks coincide with the start of a major prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, expected to involve “a thousand detainees” from each side over three days.

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This exchange is the only tangible outcome so far from talks held in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in mid-May.

The first phase took place on Friday and included the release of 270 soldiers and 120 civilians on each side. The next two phases are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

In the Chernihiv region, where the freed Ukrainian prisoners were brought, hundreds of people—mostly women—waited with signs and photographs, according to an AFP journalist.

Some of them shouted and wept as they welcomed the returning buses filled with visibly emaciated men.

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Emotional Reunions and Uncertainty

As the former prisoners stepped off the buses wrapped in Ukrainian flags, family members rushed to meet them, holding photos of missing loved ones in the hope that someone might recognize a familiar face.

A senior Ukrainian official, speaking anonymously to AFP, noted that each prisoner swap brings unexpected developments: “Some returnees had been on missing persons lists or even presumed dead.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address that this was “the first phase of the largest prisoner exchange” since the war began.

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On the Russian side, Moscow announced it had recovered 270 soldiers and 120 civilians on Friday, including “residents from the Kursk region who had been captured by Ukrainian forces” during the summer 2024 offensive.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed the swap, stating that he hoped it would encourage the warring parties to negotiate a swift end to the “bloodshed.”

Posting on his Truth Social platform, he wrote: “Congratulations to both sides. Could this lead to something big???”

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