Kyiv, May 16:
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a Russian missile strike on a Kyiv apartment building killed 24 people, including three teenagers, after rescue workers completed clearing rubble from the site more than a day after the attack.
The cruise missile struck a nine-storey residential block during what Ukrainian authorities described as Russia’s largest aerial assault since the start of the full-scale invasion. In total, 48 people were wounded, including two children.
Zelenskyy said the attack was part of a wider escalation in Russian airstrikes, with more than 1,560 drones launched against Ukrainian territory over a short period and around 180 locations damaged nationwide, including over 50 residential buildings.
He said the strikes followed a brief ceasefire window between May 9 and 11, which US President Donald Trump had urged both Ukraine and Russia to observe, though fighting reportedly continued at a reduced intensity.
Ukraine has also intensified long-range drone operations against Russia. The Russian Defence Ministry said its air defences intercepted 355 Ukrainian drones overnight, one of the largest Ukrainian drone attacks recorded in the war. The strikes disrupted air travel, forcing temporary airport closures across several regions.
In Russia’s Ryazan region, a Ukrainian drone attack reportedly killed four people, including a child, and caused a large fire at an oil refinery, a key component of Russia’s energy infrastructure. Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment on the strike.
Zelenskyy also said preliminary analysis of the missile that hit the Kyiv apartment building showed it was manufactured recently, suggesting Russia continues to acquire critical components and technology despite international sanctions.
He called for stronger global efforts to prevent sanctions evasion and restrict Russia’s access to military supplies.
Kyiv observed a day of mourning for the victims, and Zelenskyy visited the site of the destroyed building.
He described the devastation as evidence of continued civilian targeting amid the war’s intensification.
Separately, Russia and Ukraine carried out another prisoner exchange, with 205 detainees released by each side.
Zelenskyy said it was the first phase of a planned 1,000-for-1,000 swap, adding that some Ukrainian prisoners had been held since 2022 and had endured some of the fiercest fighting of the war.
Russia confirmed the exchange and thanked the United Arab Emirates for helping facilitate the agreement.