War in Ukraine: Russian terror from the air

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia bombarded Ukraine overnight into Sunday with nearly 300 drone strikes and around 70 rocket and cruise missile strikes. These would be the worst drone attacks since the war began more than three years ago. Rescue workers are deployed in more than 30 Ukrainian towns and villages in various regions, Zelensky announced on the X platform . According to authorities, at least 12 people were killed and dozens more injured. Among the dead were children.

In the Zhytomyr region, west of the capital Kyiv, two children aged eight and twelve and a teenager aged 17 died, according to civil defense officials. In the Kyiv region, at least four people were killed, and 16 others were injured, according to authorities. Images and videos released by civil defense officials showed severe devastation in villages, including destroyed and burning houses. Authorities reported four dead and five injured in the Khmelnytskyi region in the west of the country, where they also reported severe damage to residential buildings and social infrastructure. Six residential buildings were completely destroyed, and more than 20 others were damaged.

Zelensky accused Russia of terrorism and demanded tougher sanctions against the country from the West. Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said, continues the killing in his war on a daily basis. "This cannot be ignored. America's silence and the silence of other countries in the world only encourage Putin," Zelensky said. "Without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped. Sanctions will certainly help." These are deliberate strikes against ordinary towns, Zelensky said. He called for determination from the US and European countries to increase pressure on Russia to end the war.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha spoke of a difficult Sunday for Ukraine, with a sleepless night. "While the whole world is demanding an end to the killing, Putin is ordering even more beatings, attacks, and murders of children," Sybiha wrote on the X platform . An unconditional and lasting ceasefire is needed for peace negotiations. The international community must increase pressure on Putin. The current pressure is insufficient, said the head of the presidential office, Andriy Yermak, on Telegram. "Without pressure, nothing will change, and Russia and its allies will only build up forces for such murders in Western countries. Moscow will fight as long as it has the ability to produce weapons."

According to government sources, 110 drones flying from Ukraine were neutralized overnight over Russia. Thirteen of these were intercepted over the Moscow region and the Tver region bordering the capital, according to the Defense Ministry. There were no initial casualty figures. The ministry also did not specify how many drones had attacked Ukraine in total.

According to the government in Moscow, Russia and Ukraine have completed the extensive prisoner exchange . On Sunday, 303 prisoners were handed over to each side, according to the Defense Ministry. This means that a total of 1,000 people have been exchanged over the past three days. Sunday's exchange was the third and final stage in the unprecedented action by the warring parties. This fulfills the agreement reached between the warring parties in Istanbul on May 16, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.