‘Mum, I’m home!’ Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners of war
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‘Mum, I’m home!’ Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners of war
Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war under the age of 25 on Monday. First step in a series of planned prisoner swaps that could become the biggest of the war so far. The exchange was the result of direct talks between the two sides in Istanbul on June 2. Both sides said how many prisoners had been swapped on Monday, but the Russian Defence Ministry said in its own statement that the same number of military personnel had been exchanged on each side. Russia says on Monday its forces had taken control of more territory in Ukraine’s east-central region of Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv said Moscow had launched its largest drone attack of the year. The Russian military said its returned servicemen were now in Belarus, a close Russian ally, where they were receiving psychological and medical assistance before being transferred to Russia for further care. Some of the Ukrainian prisoners who came home on Monday had been in Russian captivity since the beginning of the War. The released Ukrainian men were later taken by bus to a hospital in northern Ukraine where theywere given showers, food and care packages.
Item 1 of 11 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) are seen after a swap, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, at an unknown location in Ukraine, in this handout picture released June 9, 2025. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS
Summary Prisoner exchange follows Istanbul talks on June 2
Emotional reunions as POWs return home
Kyiv and Moscow remain far apart on ending the war
CHERNIHIV REGION, Ukraine, June 9 (Reuters) – Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war under the age of 25 on Monday in emotional homecoming scenes, the first step in a series of planned prisoner swaps that could become the biggest of the war so far.
The exchange was the result of direct talks between the two sides in Istanbul on June 2 that resulted in an agreement to exchange at least 1,200 POWs on each side and to repatriate thousands of bodies of those killed in Russia’s war in Ukraine
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The return of POWs and the repatriation of the bodies of the dead is one of the few things the two sides have managed to agree on as broader negotiations have failed to get close to ending the war, now in its fourth year.
Fighting has raged on, with Russia saying on Monday its forces had taken control of more territory in Ukraine’s east-central region of Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv saying Moscow had launched its largest drone attack of the war.
Officials in Kyiv said some of the Ukrainian prisoners who came home on Monday had been in Russian captivity since the beginning of the war.
At a rendezvous point for the returning Ukrainian prisoners, soon after they crossed back into northern Ukraine, an official handed one of the freed men a cellphone so that he could call his mother, a video released by Ukrainian authorities showed.
“Hi mum, I’ve arrived, I’m home!” the soldier shouted into the receiver, struggling to catch his breath because he was overcome by emotion.
The released Ukrainian men were later taken by bus to a hospital in northern Ukraine where they were to have medical checks and be given showers, food and care packages including mobile phones and shoes.
Jubilation was tinged with sadness because outside the hospital were crowds of people, mostly women, looking for relatives who went missing while fighting for Ukraine.
The women held up pictures of the missing men in the hope that one of the returning POWs would recognised them and share details about what happened to them. Some hoped their loved ones would be among those released.
Oksana Kupriyenko, 52, was holding up an image of her son, Denys, who went missing in September 2024.
“Tomorrow is my birthday and I was hoping God will give me a gift and return my son to me,” she said, through tears.
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSISTANCE
Neither side said how many prisoners had been swapped on Monday, but the Russian Defence Ministry said in its own statement that the same number of military personnel had been exchanged on each side.
Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky said at the weekend that a first list of 640 POWs had been handed to Ukraine.
The Russian military said its returned servicemen were now in Belarus, a close Russian ally, where they were receiving psychological and medical assistance before being transferred to Russia for further care.
Footage broadcast by Russia’s RIA state news agency showed a group of freed Russian soldiers on board a coach raising their hands in the air and shouting: “Hurrah we’re home.”
The same group was shown holding a Russian flag and chanting “Russia! Russia!” before boarding the coach.
“It is very difficult to convey what I’m feeling inside now. But I am very happy, proud and grateful to everyone who took part in this process, in the exchange and bringing us home,” said one freed Russian soldier.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country had received a first group of prisoners from Russia and that it would take several days to complete the swap.
Both sides say the intention for this round of prisoner swaps is also to hand over people who are gravely ill or severely injured. The people seen being handed over so far on Monday appeared to be fit and well.
“Today’s exchange has begun. It will be done in several stages in the coming days,” Zelenskiy said on the Telegram app.
“The process is quite complex, with many sensitive details, and negotiations continue virtually every day. We count on the full implementation of the humanitarian agreements reached during the meeting in Istanbul. We are doing everything possible to bring back every single person.”
Additional reporting by Moscow bureau and Olena Harmash in Kyiv; Writing by Andrew Osborn and Christian Lowe, Editing by Timothy Heritage
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Russia, Ukraine swap first prisoners in large-scale exchange after Istanbul talks
Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war under the age of 25 on Monday. First step in a series of planned prisoner swaps that could become the biggest of the war so far. The exchange was the result of direct talks in Istanbul on June 2 that resulted in an agreement to conduct an exchange of at least 1,200 PoWs on each side and to repatriate thousands of bodies of those killed in the war. Neither side said how many prisoners had been swapped on Monday, but the Russian Defense Ministry said in its own statement that the same number of military personnel had been exchanged on June 9, in accordance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements. The Russian military said its returned servicemen were now in Belarus, a close Russian ally, where they were receiving psychological and medical assistance before being transferred to Russia for further care. For relatives of missing Ukrainians, returning prisoners can be the only source of news about their loved ones.”It is very difficult to convey what I’m feeling inside now. But I am very happy, proud and grateful to everyone who took part in this process,” said one freed Russian soldier.
Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war under the age of 25 on Monday in emotional homecoming scenes, the first step in a series of planned prisoner swaps that could become the biggest of the war so far.
The exchange, announced by both sides, was the result of direct talks in Istanbul on June 2 that resulted in an agreement to conduct an exchange of at least 1,200 PoWs on each side and to repatriate thousands of bodies of those killed in the war.
Emotional homecoming scenes
At a rendezvous point for the returning Ukrainian prisoners, soon after they crossed back into northern Ukraine, an official handed one of the freed men a cellphone so that he could call his mother, a video released by Ukrainian authorities showed.
“Hi mum, I’ve arrived, I’m home!” the soldier shouted into the receiver, struggling to catch his breath because he was overcome by emotion.
In a second video clip distributed by Ukrainian officials, one returned prisoner could be seen talking on the phone to a relative of another man still in captivity. For relatives of missing Ukrainians, returning prisoners can be the only source of news about their loved ones.
“Don’t worry, everything is okay with him,” the soldier told the relative, a woman called Tania whose tearful voice could be heard on the other end of the call.
Russian soldiers return through Belarus
The Russian military said its returned servicemen were now in Belarus, a close Russian ally, where they were receiving psychological and medical assistance before being transferred to Russia for further care.
Footage broadcast by Russia’s RIA state news agency showed a group of freed Russian soldiers on board a coach raising their hands in the air and shouting: “Hurrah we’re home.”
The same group was shown holding a Russian flag and chanting “Russia! Russia!” before boarding the coach.
“It is very difficult to convey what I’m feeling inside now. But I am very happy, proud and grateful to everyone who took part in this process, in the exchange and bringing us home,” said one freed Russian soldier.
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – JUNE 09: (—-EDITORIAL USE ONLY – MANDATORY CREDIT – RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENSE / HANDOUT – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS —-) A screen grab capture from a video shows first group of servicemen under the age of 25 in the first round of a large-scale swap carried out under an agreement reached in Istanbul last week between Moscow and Kyivs exchanges, in Moscow, Russia on June 9, 2025. ( Russian Defense Ministry – Anadolu Agency )
Ukrainian president confirms multi-stage process
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country had received the first group of prisoners from Russia and that it would take several days to complete the swap.
“Today’s exchange has begun. It will be done in several stages in the coming days,” Zelenskyy said on social media.
“The process is quite complex, with many sensitive details, and negotiations continue virtually every day. We count on the full implementation of the humanitarian agreements reached during the meeting in Istanbul. We are doing everything possible to bring back every single person.”
In this handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service on June 9, 2025, Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) wrapped with Ukrainian national flags react following an exchange at an undisclosed location. (Photo by Handout / Ukrainian Presidential Press Service / AFP)
Prisoner numbers and medical conditions
Neither side said how many prisoners had been swapped on Monday, but the Russian Defense Ministry said in its own statement that the same number of military personnel had been exchanged on each side.
“On June 9, in accordance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements reached on June 2 in Istanbul, the first group of Russian servicemen under the age of 25 was returned from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime,” the Russian Defense Ministry stated.
Russian ministry added: “In exchange, a similar number of Ukrainian Armed Forces prisoners of war were transferred. Currently, Russian servicemen are in the Republic of Belarus, where they are receiving the necessary psychological and medical assistance. All Russian servicemen will be transported to the Russian Federation for treatment and rehabilitation in medical facilities of the Russian Ministry of Defense.”
Officials in Kyiv said some of the Ukrainian prisoners who came home on Monday had been in Russian captivity since the beginning of the war.
Emphasizing that all Ukrainian prisoners should be brought back to their homes, Zelenskyy stated: “We expect the full implementation of agreements on humanitarian issues reached in the Istanbul negotiations. We are doing our best to bring everyone back. We are working at every level for this.”
Sides maintain commitment despite disputes
The Kremlin had said earlier on Monday that Russia was ready to honour agreements with Ukraine on the PoW exchange and the repatriation of dead soldiers despite what it said was “Kyiv’s failure to fully honour its side of the bargain”.
Ukraine had denied allegations of postponing the prisoner swaps.
“Russia remains committed to the agreements with Ukraine reached during the previous round of negotiations in Istanbul and always honors its commitments, unlike the other side,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov said Kyiv’s “excuses and justifications” for refusing to exchange prisoners of war and bodies of fallen soldiers hardly qualify as credible.
Istanbul agreement framework
On June 2, as a result of negotiations held in Istanbul between Russia and Ukraine, hosted by Türkiye, agreements were reached on the delivery of frozen bodies of 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers, and the exchange of seriously wounded and sick soldiers and prisoner soldiers under 25 years of age.
The return of PoWs and the repatriation of the bodies of the dead is one of the few things the two sides have been able to agree on, even as their broader negotiations have failed to get close to ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
Russia, Ukraine start new exchange of prisoners of war
The move was agreed earlier this month during direct negotiations in Istanbul between representatives from both countries. The return of POWs and the repatriation of the bodies of the dead is one of the few things the two sides have been able to agree on.
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The move was agreed earlier this month during direct negotiations in Istanbul between representatives from both countries.
The return of POWs and the repatriation of the bodies of the dead is one of the few things the two sides have been able to agree on, even as their broader negotiations have failed to get close to ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.
Fighting has raged on, with Russia saying on Monday its forces had taken control of more territory in Ukraine’s east-central region of Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv saying Moscow had launched its largest drone attack of the war.
Officials in Kyiv said some of the Ukrainian prisoners who came home on Monday had been in Russian captivity since the beginning of the war.
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Neither side disclosed the exact number of individuals involved.
Russia and Ukraine complete prisoner swap hours after Moscow launches major aerial assault
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Sunday’s exchange, saying “303 Ukrainian defenders are home.” Russia used 69 missiles of various types and 298 drones, including Iranian-designed Shahed drones, an official says. Russia hit Ukraine with 367 drones and missiles, the largest single aerial attack of the war, the official adds. Donald Trump says he is losing patience with Vladimir Putin, leveling sharp criticism at him on Sunday night in a Twitter post. The exchange has been the only tangible outcome from the peace talks held in Istanbul earlier this month, which have failed to reach an agreement on a cease-fire. The two sides agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war and civilian detainees each, but the deal has not yet been implemented. The U.S. State Department says it is “deeply concerned’ about the situation in Ukraine and is working with the international community to find a solution. The European Union has called on Russia to end its use of drones in Ukraine.
Hours earlier, the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and other regions came under a massive Russian drone-and-missile attack that killed at least 12 people and injured dozens. Ukrainian officials described it as the largest aerial assault since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Late Sunday, Ukrainian cities came under attack for a third straight night with Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reporting that air defense forces were working in the capital against enemy drones. Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the Kharkiv military administration, said Kharkiv and its suburbs were also under attack by drones.
Information about victims was being clarified, Syniehubov said, urging residents to “stay safe places until the end of the alarm.”
Earlier, Russia’s Defense Ministry said each side exchanged 303 soldiers, following the release of 307 combatants and civilians each on Saturday, and 390 on Friday — the biggest total swap of the war.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Sunday’s exchange, saying on X that “303 Ukrainian defenders are home.” He noted that the troops returning to Ukraine were members of the “Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and the State Special Transport Service.”
Nataliya Borovyk, the sister of released Ukrainian soldier Ihor Ulesov, was overwhelmed when she learned of her brother’s return.
“My uncle had to calm me down and put me in a taxi so I could get here,” she told The Associated Press. “A moment like that stays with you forever.”
Borovyk said the family had been waiting anxiously for news, and that she had hoped her brother might be released in the first part of the exchange on Friday.
“We were worried about all the guys. He wasn’t there on Friday, but I was here — I at least greeted them, I stood there until the very end and waited, (hoping) maybe he would appear after all.”
In talks held in Istanbul earlier this month — the first time the two sides met face to face for peace talks — Kyiv and Moscow agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war and civilian detainees each. The exchange has been the only tangible outcome from the talks.
(CNN, POOL, UKRAINE STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE, KYIV REGION MILITARY ADMINISTRATION, RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENCE, UKRAINIAN PRISONER OF WAR TREATMENT CENTRE)
Largest aerial attack of the war
The scale of the onslaught was stunning — Russia hit Ukraine with 367 drones and missiles, the largest single aerial attack of the war, according to Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Air Force.
In all, Russia used 69 missiles of various types and 298 drones, including Iranian-designed Shahed drones, he told The Associated Press.
There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the strikes.
For Kyiv, the day was particularly somber as the city observed Kyiv Day, a national holiday that falls on the last Sunday in May, commemorating its founding in the 5th century,
Zelenskyy said Russian missiles and drones hit more than 30 cities and villages, and urged Western partners to ramp up sanctions on Russia — a longstanding demand of the Ukrainian leader but one that despite warnings to Moscow by the United States and Europe has not materialized in ways to deter Russia.
“These were deliberate strikes on ordinary cities,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that Sunday’s targets included Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Chernihiv, Sumy, Odesa, Poltava, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Cherkasy regions.
“America’s silence, the silence of others in the world, only encourages” Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said. “Without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped. Sanctions will certainly help.”
U.S. President Donald Trump made it clear he is losing patience with Putin, leveling some of his sharpest criticism at him on Sunday night.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” Trump wrote in a social media post. He said Putin is “needlessly killing a lot of people” by firing missiles and drones into Ukrainian cities “for no reason whatsoever.”
But Trump expressed frustration with Zelenskyy as well, saying that he is “doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does.”
Keith Kellogg, Washington’s special envoy to Ukraine, condemned the Russian attacks on X, calling it “a clear violation” of the Geneva Protocols. “These attacks are shameful. Stop the killing. Ceasefire now.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its air defenses shot down 110 Ukrainian drones overnight.
‘Sleepless night’
Sounds of explosions boomed throughout the night in Kyiv and the surrounding area as Ukrainian air defense persisted for hours in efforts to shoot down Russian drones and missiles. At least four people were killed and 16 were injured in the capital itself, according to the security service.
“A difficult Sunday morning in Ukraine after a sleepless night,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X, adding that the assault “lasted all night.”
Fires broke out in homes and businesses, set off by falling drone debris.
In Zhytomyr region, west of Kyiv, the emergency service said three children were killed, aged 8, 12 and 17. Twelve people were injured in the attacks, it said. At least four people were killed in the Khmelnytskyi region, in western Ukraine. One man was killed in Mykolaiv region, in southern Ukraine.
Kyiv Mayor 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 scale of Russia’s use of aerial weapons aside, the attacks over the past 48 hours have been among the most intense strikes on Ukraine since the February 2022 invasion.
A village engulfed in smoke and rubble
In Markhalivka, just outside Kyiv where several village homes were burned down, the Fedorenkos watched their ruined home in tears.
“The street looks like Bakhmut, like Mariupol, it’s just terrible,” said 76-year-old Liubov Fedorenko, comparing their village to some of Ukraine’s most devastated cities. She told the AP she was grateful her daughter and grandchildren hadn’t joined them for the weekend.
“I was trying to persuade my daughter to come to us,” Fedorenko said, adding that she told her daughter, “After all, you live on the eighth floor in Kyiv, and here it’s the ground floor.’”
“She said, ‘No, mum, I’m not coming.’ And thank God she didn’t come, because the rocket hit (the house) on the side where the children’s rooms were,” Fedorenko said.
No halt in fighting
The POW exchange was the latest of scores of swaps since the war began but also the biggest involving Ukrainian civilians.
Still, it has not halted the fighting. Battles have 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 quoted Yaroslav Yakimkin of the “North” group of Russian forces as saying Sunday that Ukrainian troops have been pushed back from the border in the Kursk region, which Putin visited days ago.
“The troops continue to advance forward every day,” Yakimkin said, adding that Russian forces have taken Marine and Loknya in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, which borders Kursk, over the past week, and were advancing in the Kharkiv region around the largely destroyed town of Vovchansk.
Speaking on Russian state TV on Sunday, a Russian serviceman said that Putin was reportedly flying over the Kursk region in a helicopter when the area came under intense Ukrainian drone attack during his visit.
Putin’s helicopter was “virtually at the epicenter of repelling a large-scale attack by the enemy’s drones,” said Yuri Dashkin, described as commander of a Russian air defense division. He added that Russian air defense units shot down 46 drones during the incident.
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Yeroshenko reported from Markhalivka, Ukraine. Associated Press writers Elise Morton in London, Ali Swenson in Bridgewater, New Jersey, and Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.
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Ukraine hit with largest drone, missile attack of the war so far
Russia’s Defense Ministry said each side exchanged 303 soldiers following the release of 307 combatants and civilians each Saturday and 390 Friday. Hours earlier, the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and other regions came under a massive Russian drone-and-missile attack that killed at least 12 people and injured dozens. Ukrainian officials described it as the largest aerial assault since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its air defenses shot down 110 Ukrainian drones overnight.’Sleepless night’ sounds of explosions boomed throughout the night in Kyiv and the surrounding area as Ukrainian air defense persisted for hours in efforts to shoot down Russian drones and missiles. At least four people were killed and 16 were injured in the capital, the security service said. One man was killed in the Khmelnytskyi region in western Ukraine, and three children were killed, aged 8, 12 and 17, in the Zhytomyr region, west of Kyiv. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, urged Western partners to ramp up sanctions on Russia.
Advertisement Russia hits Ukraine with the largest drone-and-missile attack of the war so far Share Copy Link Copy
Russia and Ukraine swapped hundreds more prisoners on Sunday, the third and last part of a major exchange that reflected a rare moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire in the more than three years of war.Related video above: Emergency services check for wounded after Kyiv comes under large-scale Russian attack on SaturdayHours earlier, the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and other regions came under a massive Russian drone-and-missile attack that killed at least 12 people and injured dozens. Ukrainian officials described it as the largest aerial assault since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Russia’s Defense Ministry said each side exchanged 303 soldiers following the release of 307 combatants and civilians each Saturday and 390 Friday — the biggest total swap of the war.Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, confirmed Sunday’s exchange, saying on X that “303 Ukrainian defenders are home.” He noted that the troops returning to Ukraine were members of the “Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and the State Special Transport Service.”Nataliya Borovyk, the sister of released Ukrainian soldier Ihor Ulesov, was overwhelmed when she learned of her brother’s return.“My uncle had to calm me down and put me in a taxi so I could get here,” she told The Associated Press. “A moment like that stays with you forever.”Borovyk said the family had been waiting anxiously for news, and that she had hoped her brother might be released in the first part of the exchange Friday.“We were worried about all the guys. He wasn’t there on Friday, but I was here — I at least greeted them. I stood there until the very end and waited, (hoping) maybe he would appear after all.”In talks held in Istanbul earlier this month — the first time the two sides met face to face for peace talks — Kyiv and Moscow agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war and civilian detainees each. The exchange has been the only tangible outcome from the talks.Largest aerial attack of the warThe scale of the onslaught was stunning — Russia hit Ukraine with 367 drones and missiles, the largest single aerial attack of the war, according to Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Air Force.In all, Russia used 69 missiles of various types and 298 drones, including Iranian-designed Shahed drones, he told The Associated Press.There was no immediate comment from Moscow on the strikes.For Kyiv, the day was particularly somber as the city observed Kyiv Day, a national holiday that falls on the last Sunday in May that commemorates its founding in the fifth century.Zelenskyy said Russian missiles and drones hit more than 30 cities and villages, and urged Western partners to ramp up sanctions on Russia — a longstanding demand of the Ukrainian leader but one that, despite warnings to Moscow by the United States and Europe, has not materialized in ways to deter Russia.“These were deliberate strikes on ordinary cities,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that Sunday’s targets included the Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Chernihiv, Sumy, Odesa, Poltava, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Cherkasy regions.“America’s silence, the silence of others in the world, only encourages” Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said. “Without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped. Sanctions will certainly help.”Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its air defenses shot down 110 Ukrainian drones overnight.’Sleepless night’Sounds of explosions boomed throughout the night in Kyiv and the surrounding area as Ukrainian air defense persisted for hours in efforts to shoot down Russian drones and missiles. At least four people were killed and 16 were injured in the capital itself, according to the security service.“A difficult Sunday morning in Ukraine after a sleepless night,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X, adding that the assault “lasted all night.”Fires broke out in homes and businesses, set off by falling drone debris.In the Zhytomyr region, west of Kyiv, the emergency service said three children were killed, aged 8, 12 and 17. Twelve people were injured in the attacks, it said. At least four people were killed in the Khmelnytskyi region in western Ukraine. One man was killed in the Mykolaiv region in southern 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 scale of Russia’s use of aerial weapons aside, the attacks over the past 48 hours have been among the most intense strikes on Ukraine since the February 2022 invasion.A village engulfed in smoke and rubbleIn Markhalivka, just outside Kyiv where several village homes were burned down, the Fedorenkos watched their ruined home in tears.“The street looks like Bakhmut, like Mariupol, it’s just terrible,” said 76-year-old Liubov Fedorenko, comparing their village to some of Ukraine’s most devastated cities. She told the AP she was grateful her daughter and grandchildren had not joined them for the weekend.“I was trying to persuade my daughter to come to us,” Fedorenko said, adding that she told her daughter, “’After all, you live on the eighth floor in Kyiv, and here it’s the ground floor.’””She said, ‘No, mum, I’m not coming.’ And thank God she didn’t come, because the rocket hit (the house) on the side where the children’s rooms were,” Fedorenko said.Ivan Fedorenko, 80, said he regrets letting their two dogs into the house when the air raid siren went off. “They burned to death,” he said. “I want to bury them, but I’m not allowed yet.”No halt in fightingThe POW exchange was the latest of scores of swaps since the war began, but also the biggest involving Ukrainian civilians.Still, it has not halted the fighting. Battles have 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 quoted Yaroslav Yakimkin of the “North” group of Russian forces as saying Sunday that Ukrainian troops have been pushed back from the border in the Kursk region, which Putin visited days ago.“The troops continue to advance forward every day,” Yakimkin said, adding that Russian forces have taken Marine and Loknya in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, which borders Kursk, over the past week, and were advancing in the Kharkiv region around the largely destroyed town of Vovchansk.Speaking on Russian state TV on Sunday, a Russian serviceman said that Putin was reportedly flying over the Kursk region in a helicopter when the area came under intense Ukrainian drone attack during his visit.Putin’s helicopter was “virtually at the epicenter of repelling a large-scale attack by the enemy’s drones,” said Yuri Dashkin, described as commander of a Russian air defense division. He added that Russian air defense units shot down 46 drones during the incident.___Yeroshenko reported from Markhalivka, Ukraine. Associated Press writers Elise Morton in London and Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.