Ukraine’s air force said on Sunday that Russia attacked the country with 298 drones and 69 missiles overnight, one of the largest aerial attacks of the war in Ukraine. It said it downed 45 missiles and 266 drones.
In Zhytomyr region, west of Kyiv, three children were killed, aged 8, 12 and 17, according to the emergency service.
Twelve were injured in the attacks, the service said. Deaths were also reported in the Khmelnytskyi region, in western Ukraine.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a student dormitory in Holosiivskyi district was hit by a drone and one of the building’s walls was on fire.
In Dniprovskyi district, a private house was destroyed and in Shevchenkivskyi district, windows in a residential building were smashed.
The attacks over the past 48 hours were among the most intense Russian aerial strikes on Ukraine since the February 2022 full-scale invasion. The last in a three-day prisoner swap was expected to take place later on Sunday.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the “silence of America” in the wake of the attack.
Moscow and Kyiv have exchanged fire as Russia said it faced a barrage of Ukrainian drones and intercepted or destroyed around 100 of the unmanned Ukrainian weapons including some aimed at Moscow.
The drone attacks have intensified between Russia and Ukraine this week. On Friday evening, Russia launched dozens of drones and ballistic missiles at Kyiv overnight in one of the biggest combined aerial attacks the war has seen.
This comes hours after Russia and Ukraine each swapped 307 more prisoners of war as part of a negotiated exchange which should result in 1,000 citizens from both sides returning to their country.
Zelensky and Russia’s defence ministry confirmed the second prisoner exchange on Saturday, after Friday’s release saw each side exchange 390 civilians and personnel.
“Among those who returned today are soldiers from our army, the State Border Service, and the National Guard of Ukraine,” Mr Zelensky said on his official Telegram channel.
The latest air attack on Ukraine was the largest since the war started in 2022.
“This was a combined, ruthless strike aimed at civilians. The enemy once again showed that its goal is fear and death,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
The assault comes as Ukraine and Russia prepared to conduct the third and final day of a prisoner swap in which both sides will exchange a total of 1000 people each.
Zelensky called on the United States, which has taken a softer public line on Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, since President Donald Trump took office, to speak out.
“The silence of America, the silence of others in the world only encourages Putin,” he wrote on Telegram.
“Every such terrorist Russian strike is reason enough for new sanctions against Russia.”
It was the largest attack of the war in terms of weapons fired, although other strikes have killed more people.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on social media platform X: “A difficult Sunday morning in Ukraine after a sleepless night. The most massive Russian air attack in many weeks lasted all night. Russia launched hundreds of drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles into Ukrainian cities and communities during the night, injuring and killing people, including at least three children. When the entire world calls for an end to the killing, Putin orders even more strikes, attacks, and murders of children. This once again emphasizes the imperative of a full, unconditional, and durable ceasefire for any meaningful peace effort. The world must pressure Russia to accept it and put an end to the killings immediately.”
The death toll after a massive Russian drone-and-missile attack has killed at least 13 people.
The scale of the onslaught was stunning – Russia hit Ukraine with 367 drones and missiles, making it the largest single attack of the war so far, according to Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat.
Zelensky has accused Russia of filling each day with “horror and murder” inside Ukraine, after Moscow launch two days of large-scale missile attacks.
He said: “Putin has refused to cease fire repeatedly. It gains him nothing, except taking lives every single day. Every day gives new grounds for sanctions against Russia. Every day proves that without pressure on Russia, the war will continue.”
“Every night, our forces work to protect lives. Today, there was a large-scale and vile Russian attack. Ballistic missiles — some were successfully intercepted. There were also 250 drones, mostly Shaheds.
“I am grateful to everyone helping Ukraine with air defence. Delivering air defence systems to us means real protection for people — here and now.
“Russia fills each day with horror and murder, it’s simply dragging out the war. All of this demands a response — a strong response from the United States, from Europe, and from everyone in the world who wants this war to end. Putin has refused to cease fire repeatedly.
“It gains him nothing, except taking lives every single day. Every day gives new grounds for sanctions against Russia. Every day proves that without pressure on Russia, the war will continue.
“Ukraine is ready for any form of diplomacy that delivers real results. We are ready for all steps that can guarantee true security. It is Russia that is not ready for anything.