{"id":2438714,"date":"2025-05-24T14:41:01","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T18:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/russia-and-ukraine-swap-hundreds-more-prisoners-hours-after-a-massive-attack-on-kyiv-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-05-24T14:45:41","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T18:45:41","slug":"russia-and-ukraine-swap-hundreds-more-prisoners-hours-after-a-massive-attack-on-kyiv-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/russia-and-ukraine-swap-hundreds-more-prisoners-hours-after-a-massive-attack-on-kyiv-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia and Ukraine swap hundreds more prisoners hours after a massive attack on Kyiv &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frussia-and-ukraine-swap-hundreds-more-prisoners-hours-after-a-massive-attack-on-kyiv-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2438714&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>On Saturday,Russia and Ukraine carried out a considerable prisoner exchange,with each side bringing back 307 soldiers amidst ongoing hostilities. This exchange, occurring shortly after a significant Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv that left at least 15 injured, marked a rare moment of cooperation in a conflict that has seen little progress toward peace. Ukrainian President volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia&#8217;s defense ministry confirmed the swap, which was part of a larger agreement reached during recent peace talks in Istanbul.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the prisoner exchange, violence continued unabated, with the Kyiv region experiencing one of the largest combined attacks involving drones and missiles, resulting in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/five-human-smuggling-attempts-foiled-in-south-texas-in-11-hours\/\" title=\"Five Human Smuggling Attempts Foiled in South Texas in 11 Hours\">significant property damage<\/a> and injuries.Ukrainian officials reported that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israel-war-hamas-rocket-knocked-down-by-davids-sling-interceptor\/\" title=\"Hamas rocket intercepted by David&#039;s Sling in Israel war.\">military successfully intercepted<\/a> many of the incoming threats.<\/p>\n<p>While discussions for future exchanges and talks are ongoing, both sides remain entrenched in their positions, with Ukraine calling for a ceasefire and Russia refusing to concede.This complex situation reflects not only the dire humanitarian aspects of the conflict but also the persistent geopolitical challenges that hinder peace efforts.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Russia and Ukraine swap hundreds more prisoners hours after a massive attack on Kyiv<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2130170\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>KYIV, Ukraine (AP) &mdash;<\/strong> Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds more prisoners Saturday as part of a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/russia-ukraine-war-trump-prisoner-swap-8b745966e2f9a484d80ed89fb70d5648\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">major swap that amounted to a rare moment of cooperation<\/a>&nbsp;in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire. The exchange came hours after Kyiv came under a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack that left at least 15 people injured.<\/p>\n<p>Ukraine&rsquo;s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia&rsquo;s defense ministry said each side brought home 307 more soldiers on Saturday,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/russia-ukraine-war-trump-prisoner-swap-8b745966e2f9a484d80ed89fb70d5648\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">a day after each released a total of 390 combatants and civilians<\/a>. Further releases expected over the weekend are set to make the swap the largest in more than three years of war.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3421608\/pope-leo-xiv-victims-abusive-catholic-group\/\">As Pope Leo XIV faces scrutiny, victims of abusive Catholic group say he helped when others didn&rsquo;t<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3421464\/trump-administration-announces-sanctions-relief-syria\/\">Trump administration announces sanctions relief for Syria<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3420754\/china-blasts-trump-illicit-ban-foreign-students-harvard\/\">&#8216;Politicizing education&#8217;: China blasts Trump&#8217;s &#8216;illicit&#8217; ban on foreign students at Harvard<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;We expect more to come tomorrow,&rdquo; Zelenskyy said on his official Telegram channel. Russia&rsquo;s defense ministry also said it expected the exchange to be continued, though it did not give details.<\/p>\n<p>Hours earlier, explosions and anti-aircraft fire were heard throughout Kyiv as many sought shelter in subway stations as Russian drones and missiles targeted the Ukrainian capital overnight.<\/p>\n<p>In&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/russia-ukraine-turkey-peace-talks-9a75e2069cea6c73d1276a9e53e7d6e5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">talks held in Istanbul earlier this month<\/a>&nbsp;&mdash; the first time the two sides met face to face for peace talks since&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/russia-ukraine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Russia&rsquo;s 2022 full-scale invasion<\/a>&nbsp;&mdash; Kyiv and Moscow agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war and civilian detainees each.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&lsquo;A difficult night&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>Officials said Russia attacked Ukraine with 14 ballistic missiles and 250 Shahed drones overnight while Ukrainian forces shot down six missiles and neutralized 245 drones &mdash; 128 drones were shot down and 117 were thwarted using electronic warfare.<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/russia-ukraine-war-trump-prisoner-swap-8b745966e2f9a484d80ed89fb70d5648\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/russia-ukraine-war-peace-talks-prisoner-swap-f3ef84975c61cf7e1efe22e86fedbf5c\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/russia-ukraine-war-drone-strike-sumy-e90d68ea2ef45f329a4cda16e200c141\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Kyiv City Military Administration said it was one of the biggest combined missile and drone attacks on the capital.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;A difficult night for all of us,&rdquo; the administration said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Posting on X, Ukraine&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called it &ldquo;clear evidence that increased sanctions pressure on Moscow is necessary to accelerate the peace process.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Posting on X, U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy spoke of &ldquo;another night of terror for Ukrainian civilians.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These are not the actions of a country seeking peace,&rdquo; Lammy said of the Russian strike.<\/p>\n<p>Katarina Mathernov&aacute;, the European Union&rsquo;s ambassador to Kyiv, described the attack as &ldquo;horrific.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If anyone still doubts Russia wants war to continue &mdash; read the news,&rdquo; Katarina Mathernov&aacute; wrote on the social network.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Air raid alert in Kyiv<\/h2>\n<p>The debris of intercepted missiles and drones fell in at least six Kyiv city districts. According to the acting head of the city&rsquo;s military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, six people required medical care after the attack and two fires were sparked in Kyiv&rsquo;s Solomianskyi district.<\/p>\n<p>The Obolon district, where a residential building was heavily damaged in the attack, was the hardest hit with at least five wounded in the area, the administration said.<\/p>\n<p>Yurii Bondarchuk, a local resident, said the air raid siren &ldquo;started as usual, then the drones started to fly around as they constantly do.&rdquo; Moments later, he heard a boom and saw shattered glass fly through the air.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The balcony is totally wiped out, as well as the windows and the doors,&rdquo; he said as he stood in the dark, smoking a cigarette to calm his nerves while firefighters worked to extinguish the flames.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fourth-round-of-ukraine-russia-peace-talks-paused\/\" title=\"Fourth Round of Ukraine-... ... Paused\">air raid alert<\/a> in Kyiv lasted more than seven hours, warning of incoming missiles and drones.<\/p>\n<p>Kyiv&rsquo;s mayor, Vitalii Klitschko, warned residents ahead of the attack that more than 20 Russian strike drones were heading toward the city. As the attack continued, he said drone debris fell on a shopping mall and a residential building in Obolon. Emergency services were headed to the site, Klitschko said.<\/p>\n<p>Separately, 13 civilians were killed on Friday and overnight into Saturday in Russian attacks in Ukraine&rsquo;s south, east and north, regional authorities said.<\/p>\n<p>Three people died after a Russian ballistic missile targeted port infrastructure in Odesa on the Black Sea, local Gov. Oleh Kiper reported. Russia later said the strike Friday targeted a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >cargo ship carrying military equipment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Russia&rsquo;s defense ministry on Saturday claimed its forces overnight struck various military targets across Ukraine, including missile and drone-producing plants, a reconnaissance center and a launching site for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/panetta-u-s-should-punish-russian-aggression-with-cyber-attacks-on-infrastructure-electric-grid-pipelines\/\" title=\"Panetta: U.S. Should Punish ...n Aggression with &#039;Cyber&#039; Attacks on Infrastructure, Electric Grid, Pipelines\">anti-aircraft missiles<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A complex deal<\/h2>\n<p>The prisoner swap on Friday was the first phase of a complicated deal involving the exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side.<\/p>\n<p>It 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.<\/p>\n<p>The released Russians were taken to Belarus for medical treatment, the Russian Defense Ministry said.<\/p>\n<p>POWs arrived at the medical facility in the Chernihiv region for a second day on Saturday. But for many their arrival was bittersweet.<\/p>\n<p>Those who were not reunited with their loved ones took solace in the released POWs providing some information about when their relatives were last seen.<\/p>\n<p>Anna Marchenko, the daughter of a missing Ukrainian serviceman, was elated when a released POW said they had seen her father.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is such a big news. It&rsquo;s like a fresh breath of air,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t see him, but at least it&rsquo;s some news. At least it&rsquo;s news that gives us the opportunity to continue to breathe and live in peace.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>However, the exchange &mdash; the latest of dozens of swaps since the war began and the biggest involving Ukrainian civilians so far &mdash; did not herald a halt in the fighting.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>After the May 16 Istanbul meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called the prisoner swap a &ldquo;confidence-building measure&rdquo; and said the parties had agreed in principle to meet again.<\/p>\n<p>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 maneuvering continued.<\/p>\n<p>Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow would give Ukraine a draft document outlining its conditions for a &ldquo;sustainable, long-term, comprehensive&rdquo; peace agreement, once the ongoing prisoner exchange had finished.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Far apart on key conditions<\/h2>\n<p>European leaders have accused Russian President&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/vladimir-putin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Vladimir Putin<\/a>&nbsp;of dragging his feet in peace efforts while he tries to press his larger army&rsquo;s battlefield initiative and capture more Ukrainian land.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Russia&rsquo;s Defense Ministry said that overnight and early on Saturday its forces shot down over 100 Ukrainian drones over six provinces in western and southern Russia.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3420521\/kremlin-vatican-peace-talks-religious-differences\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">KREMLIN SAYS VATICAN SHOULDN&rsquo;T HOST PEACE TALKS DUE TO RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The drone strikes injured three people in the Tula region south of Moscow, local Gov. Dmitriy Milyaev said, and sparked a fire at an industrial site there.<\/p>\n<p>Andriy Kovalenko, of Ukraine&rsquo;s National Security and Defense Council, said Saturday the drones hit a plant in Tula that makes chemicals used in explosives and rocket fuel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2130170\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2130170\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners after a major attack on Kyiv<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":2438715,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/north-korea-soldiers-ukraine.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[5237,10004,36886,4280,6991],"class_list":["post-2438714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-conflict","tag-kyiv","tag-prisoner-swap","tag-russia","tag-ukraine"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/north-korea-soldiers-ukraine.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2438714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2438714"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2438714\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2438718,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2438714\/revisions\/2438718"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2438715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2438714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2438714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2438714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}