Ukraine, Russia swap more captured soldiers after nighttime attacks

Kyiv, Ukraine: Russia and Ukraine swapped more captured soldiers Tuesday, hours after Moscow launched a wave of drone and missile strikes across Ukraine that targeted a maternity hospital and killed at least three people, Kyiv said.

The deal to swap more than 1,000 prisoners of war, along with the handing over of dead soldiers’ bodies, was the only concrete agreement to come out of peace talks between the two sides.

Moscow has escalated its bombardments of Ukraine despite being urged by US President Donald Trump to end its three-year invasion, with Kyiv launching retaliatory attacks deep inside Russian territory.

Talks in Turkey last week failed to yield a breakthrough towards ending the three-year war, with Russia rejecting calls for an unconditional ceasefire and outlining a string of hardline demands.

After the overnight barrage of more than 300 drones and seven missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Kyiv’s Western allies to respond with “concrete action”.

“Action from America, which has the power to force Russia into peace. Action from Europe, which has no alternative but to be strong,” Zelensky wrote in a post on social media. “The exchanges are to continue. We are doing everything we can to find and return every single person who is in captivity,” Zelensky said on social media. He published photos of smiling Ukrainian soldiers -- all with freshly shaved heads -- draped in national flags. Russia’s defence ministry also confirmed the swap, though neither side said how many soldiers were freed.

On Monday, Moscow and Kyiv swapped a group of captured soldiers. Russia’s defence ministry said on Monday “the first group of Russian servicemen under 25 years of age” was exchanged. Kyiv said “injured and severely wounded” were swapped on Tuesday. The two sides had agreed to free all captured soldiers under the age of 25, as well as those wounded and sick.

Moscow earlier on Tuesday said it had targeted “Ukrainian aviation, missile, armoured vehicle and ship-building facilities in Kyiv” in an overnight “group strike”. “The goal of the strikes was achieved. All designated targets were hit,” the ministry said.