Kyiv, May 24 (AP) Ukraine’s capital came under a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack early Saturday with explosions and machine gun fire heard throughout the city, forcing many Kyiv residents to take shelter in underground subway stations.

The nighttime Russian attack came hours after Russia and Ukraine began a major prisoner exchange, swapping hundreds of soldiers and civilians in the first phase of an exchange that was agreed on by the two sides at a meeting in Istanbul last week. The agreement was a moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire in the 3-year-old war.

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The debris of intercepted missiles and drones fell in at least four city districts of the Ukrainian capital early Saturday, acting head of Kyiv military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, wrote on Telegram. According to Tkachenko, six people required medical care after the attack and two fires were sparked in the Solomianskyi district of Kyiv.

Yurii Bondarchuk, a local resident, said the air raid siren “started as usual, then the drones started to fly around as they constantly do.”

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Moments later, he heard a boom and saw shattered glass fly through the air.

“The balcony is totally wiped out, as well as the windows and the doors,” he said, describing the damage to his apartment as he stood in the dark in the middle of the night. He smoked a cigarette to calm his nerves while firefighters worked to extinguish the flames.

The air raid alert in Kyiv lasted more than seven hours overnight, warning of incoming missiles and drones.

Prior to the attack, city mayor Vitalii Klitschko warned Kyiv residents of more than 20 Russian strike drones heading towards Kyiv. As the attack continued, he said drone debris fell on a shopping mall and a residential building in Obolon district of Kyiv. Emergency services were headed to the site, Klitschko said.

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.

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 Friday, people holding signs and photos of their relatives shouted names or brigade numbers, seeking any news of a loved one.

“Vanya!” cried Nataliia Mosych, among the gathered relatives, “My husband!”

The exchange, the latest of dozens of swaps since the war began and the biggest involving Ukrainian civilians at one time, didn’t herald any halt in fighting.

Battles continued along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where tens of thousands of soldiers have been killed, and neither country has relented in its deep strikes.

After the May 16 Istanbul meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called the prisoner swap a “confidence-building measure” and said the parties had agreed in principle to meet again.

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that there has been no agreement yet on the venue for the next round of talks to end the fighting as diplomatic maneuvering continued.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday night that Moscow would give Ukraine a draft document outlining its conditions for a “sustainable, long-term, comprehensive” peace agreement once the ongoing prisoner exchange had finished.

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.

The Istanbul meeting revealed that both sides remained far apart on key conditions for ending the fighting. One such condition for Ukraine, backed by its Western allies, is a temporary ceasefire as a first step toward a peaceful settlement.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had shot down 788 Ukrainian drones away from the battlefield between May 20 and May 23.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 175 Shahed and decoy drones, as well as a ballistic missile since late Thursday. (AP)

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Drones and missiles batter Kyiv in ‘large-scale attack’ hours after Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap

Damage is seen to a residential building after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, May 24, 2025. Picture: Alamy

By Josef Al Shemary

Ukraine’s capital came under a large-scale combined drone and missile attack late Friday, with explosions and machine gun fire heard throughout the city.

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Many Kyiv residents were taking shelter in underground subway stations.

The nighttime Russian attack that stretched into early on Saturday came hours after Russia and Ukraine began a major prisoner exchange, swapping hundreds of soldiers and civilians in the first phase of an exchange that was agreed on by the two sides at a meeting in Istanbul last week.

The agreement was a moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire.

The debris of intercepted missiles and drones fell in at least 4 city districts of the capital, acting head of Kyiv military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, wrote on Telegram.

According to Mr Tkachenko, six people required medical care after the attack, two fires sparked at the Solomianskyi district of Kyiv.

Prior to the attack, city mayor Vitalii Klitschko warned Kyiv residents of more than 20 Russian strike drones heading towards Kyiv.

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The prisoners swap on Friday was the first phase of a complicated swap involving prisoners and civilians.

President Volodymyr Zelensky 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 Defence Ministry said it received the same number from Ukraine.

Ukrainian POW Oleksandr (R), 45, embraces his wife Olena (L), 39, upon arrival after a prisoner exchange in the Chernygiv region on May 23, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Picture: Getty

Families of Ukrainian POW’s turn to those released during the first phase of ‘1000-for-1000’ prisoner exchange. Picture: Getty

The exchange, which would be the latest of dozens of swaps since the war began and the biggest involving Ukrainian civilians at one time, didn’t herald any halt in fighting.

Battles also continued along the roughly 620-mile front line, where tens of thousands of soldiers have been killed, and neither country has relented in its deep strikes.

After the Istanbul meeting, Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan had called the prisoner swap a “confidence-building measure”.

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that there has been no agreement yet on the venue for the next round of talks as diplomatic manoeuvring continued.

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday night that Moscow would give Ukraine a draft document outlining its conditions for a “sustainable, long-term, comprehensive” peace agreement once the ongoing prisoner exchange had finished.

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.

The Istanbul meeting revealed that both sides remained far apart on key conditions for ending the fighting.

One such condition for Ukraine, backed by its Western allies, is a temporary ceasefire as a first step toward a peaceful settlement.

People living in Ukraine’s capital were forced to take shelter in underground stations after a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack early on Saturday.

Explosions and machine gun fire was heard throughout the city of Kyiv.

The nighttime Russian attack came hours after the first phase of a large scale prisoner exchange – swapping hundreds of soldiers and civilians -that was agreed on by the two sides at a meeting in Istanbul last week.

The debris of intercepted missiles and drones fell in at least four city districts of the Ukrainian capital early Saturday, acting head of Kyiv military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, wrote on Telegram.

Firefighters extinguish a fire in a residential building damaged after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Credit: AP

According to Tkachenko, six people required medical care after the attack and two fires were sparked in the Solomianskyi district of Kyiv.

Prior to the attack, mayor Vitalii Klitschko warned Kyiv residents of more than 20 Russian strike drones heading towards Kyiv. As the attack continued, he said drone debris fell on a shopping mall and a residential building in Obolon district of Kyiv. Emergency services were headed to the site, Klitschko said.

The prisoner swap on 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.

People shelter at Kontraktova Ploshcha subway station during a Russian drone and missile attack in Kyiv. Credit: AP

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 Friday, people holding signs and photos of their relatives shouted names or brigade numbers, seeking any news of a loved one.

“Vanya!” cried Nataliia Mosych, among the gathered relatives, “My husband!”

The exchange, the latest of dozens of swaps since the war began and the biggest involving Ukrainian civilians at one time, didn’t lead to any halt in fighting.

Battles continued along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where tens of thousands of soldiers have been killed, and neither country has relented in its deep strikes.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had shot down 788 Ukrainian drones away from the battlefield between May 20 and May 23.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 175 Shahed and decoy drones, as well as a ballistic missile since late Thursday.

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Kyiv residents dash for shelter after latest large-scale Russian missile attack

Machine guns and explosions were heard throughout Kyiv this morning – leaving residents injured as communities scrambled to find shelter in underground subway stations

Russia has launched several missile attacks on Ukraine this week (file image) (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images )

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.

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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.

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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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Firefighters extinguish a fire in a residential building damaged after a Russian attack in Kyiv (Image: AP )

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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.