Russia hits Ukraine with one of the largest air assaults of the war

Russia unleashed one of its largest drone and missile barrages of the war on Ukraine overnight, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens across the country in an hourslong assault that Ukrainian officials said showed Moscow had no interest in a truce.

It was the second large-scale attack in two nights and the third in just a week, part of a broader, recent escalation by Russia that has brought a spike in civilian casualties despite cease-fire negotiations. Ukraine has also increased its own air assaults on Russian territory, but on a smaller scale and with much fewer civilian casualties.

At least 12 people were killed in the attacks across Ukraine, including children, officials said. Dozens more were hurt.

Among those killed were three children from the same family in the Zhytomyr region – west of Kyiv – according to Ukraine’s internal affairs minister Ihor Klymenko. He stated that their parents were hospitalized, and that the mother is still in bad condition.

Ukraine’s Air Force said 367 aerial attack weapons - 69 missiles and 298 drones - were launched across 22 locations in Ukraine overnight into Sunday. It claimed that 47 missiles and 266 drones were intercepted.

Russia’s previous record-breaking aerial attack on Ukraine was just last weekend when Russia launched 273 drones in one night.

The assault overnight into Sunday came despite the largest prisoner swap of the war taking place, a rare moment of cooperation in a brutal conflict that shows little sign of ending.

Over 600 Russian and Ukrainian inmates were exchanged on Sunday, completing the 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange agreed upon by the two sides - the sole substantial consequence of Kyiv and Moscow's summit in Istanbul last week.

Russia's military ministry reported that 303 Russian troops were swapped for the same number of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Zelensky, who has accused the Kremlin of playing for time in peace negotiations, cited the attacks as further proof that “Russia is dragging out this war and continues to kill every day.” In a social media post, he advocated for more pressure on Putin.

“The world may go on a weekend break, but the war continues, regardless of weekends or weekdays,” Mr. Zelensky wrote. “This cannot be ignored.  Silence of America, silence of others around the world only encourage Putin.”

Russia's military ministry says it intercepted or destroyed around 100 assault drones. Most of those destroyed were over Russia’s central and southern regions, with 13 over the Moscow and Tver regions, the ministry said.

The defense ministry claimed a day earlier that it had destroyed 94 Ukrainian UAVs over Russian territory, mostly in the Belgorod and Bryansk districts. Some UAVs were also shot down over Kursk, Lipetsk, Voronezh, and Tula districts, according to the report.

The governor of the Tula region, Dmitry Miliaev, said Saturday three people were injured, including two who were hospitalized.