At least three fatalities and 21 injuries resulted from the largest Russian drone attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov.
Terekhov stated that Russia launched 48 drones, two missiles, and four gliding bombs overnight in an attack he characterized as “open terror”.
This follows a massive drone and missile assault across Ukraine on Thursday night. Moscow attributed the strikes to retaliatory measures against “terrorist attacks by the Kyiv regime,” in response to Ukraine’s surprise raids on Russian air bases last Sunday.
Meanwhile, conflicting reports emerged from Russian and Ukrainian officials regarding the timing of a previously agreed prisoner exchange.
Friday’s attack on Kharkiv damaged 18 apartment buildings and 13 homes, with a baby and a 14-year-old girl among the injured, according to the mayor. Two additional deaths were reported in Russian strikes on Kherson.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha urged allies to increase pressure on Moscow and bolster Ukraine’s defenses in response to the latest attacks.
Six fatalities and 80 injuries were reported across Ukraine the previous night, following a Russian attack involving over 400 drones and nearly 40 missiles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack as a “massive strike on cities and civilian life” affecting “almost all of Ukraine,” including Kyiv.
Strikes also hit Chernihiv, Lutsk, and Ternopil, with Moscow claiming military targets were engaged.
During recent talks in Istanbul, both sides agreed to exchange sick and severely wounded prisoners of war, those under 25, and the remains of 12,000 soldiers.
Moscow’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, claimed Ukraine unexpectedly postponed the exchange indefinitely. However, Petro Yatsensko of Ukraine’s Coordination for PoWs HQ denied this, stating the exchange was rescheduled for next week.
Yatsensko’s office confirmed ongoing preparations. Ukraine accused Russia of violating the agreed parameters and engaging in “dirty games”. No specific exchange dates have been announced.
Medinsky also alleged that despite delivering over 1,000 Ukrainian soldier remains to the designated exchange point, Ukrainian officials failed to arrive. He stated that a list of 640 prisoners of war was provided to initiate the exchange.
The recent barrages followed Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian strategic warplanes at four air bases deep within Russia.
Ukraine’s SBU claims at least 40 Russian aircraft were hit during “Operation Spider’s Web”. Ukraine employed 117 drones, allegedly smuggled into Russia and concealed within trucks before remote deployment.
US President Donald Trump stated that Ukraine’s actions provided Russia with “a reason to go in and bomb the hell out of them”.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, currently controlling approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea.
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Ukraine is still digesting the full implications of Operation Spider’s Web, writes our correspondent.