Russia unleashes its largest air attack of war, killing at least 12, Ukraine says

Officials say a massive Russian attack of drones and missiles targeted the Ukrainian capital and other regions early Sunday in the country for a second consecutive night, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens.

The scale of the onslaught was stunning. 

Russia hit Ukraine with 367 drones and missiles, making this the largest single attack of the more than three-years-long war, according to Ukraine Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat. In all, Russia used 69 missiles of various types and 298 drones, including Iranian-designed Shahed drones, he told The Associated Press.

It was "the most massive strike in terms of the number of air attack weapons on the territory of Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022," Ihnat said.

There was no immediate comment from Moscow. For Kyiv, the day was particularly sombre as the city observes Kyiv Day, a national holiday that falls on the last Sunday of May commemorating its founding in the 5th century. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian missiles and drones hit more than 30 cities and villages across Ukraine and urged Western partners to ramp up sanctions on Russia. That has been a long-standing demand of the Ukrainian leader but one that — despite warnings to Moscow by the United States and Europe — have not materialized in ways to deter Russia.

Zelenskyy wrote on X that Sunday's targets included Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Chernihiv, Sumy, Odesa, Poltava, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Cherkasy regions.

"These were deliberate strikes on ordinary cities. Ordinary residential buildings were destroyed and damaged," he said.

"Without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped. Sanctions will certainly help. Determination matters now — the determination of the United States, of European countries, and of all those around the world who seek peace."

The attack came on the third day of a planned prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine, the only tangible outcome from peace talks in Istanbul earlier this month that have so far failed to produce a ceasefire. The exchange amounted to a rare moment of co-operation between the warring sides, and another one was expected to take place later on Sunday.

The ongoing POW exchange, the latest of dozens of swaps since the war began and the biggest involving Ukrainian civilians, so far did not bring a halt in the fighting. Battles have continued along the roughly 1,000-kilometre front line, where tens of thousands of soldiers have been killed, and neither country has relented in its deep strikes.

Zelenskyy and Russia's defence ministry said each side brought home 307 more soldiers on Saturday, a day after each side released a total of 390 combatants and civilians. Once completed, the swap will amount to the largest exchange of prisoners in more than three years of war.

"We expect more to come tomorrow," Zelenskyy said on his official Telegram channel on Saturday.

Russia's defence ministry also said it expected the exchange to be continued, though it did not give details.