Russia launched a massive drone a missile attack on Kyiv last night

Russian forces launched a massive attack on Ukraine`s capital last night using 16 ballistic missiles and 250 drones.

Ukraine's air defenses shot down 6 missiles and 128 drones, while 117 drones were neutralized by electronic warfare systems or disappeared from radars.

At least 15 civilians, including two minors, required medical attention following a Russian drone attack on Kyiv, according to local officials. Several of the victims suffered from shock but had no physical injuries. Authorities stated that the full extent of casualties was still being determined.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X (formerly Twitter) that there had been numerous fires and explosions in the city overnight. He reported that residential buildings, cars, and businesses had once again been damaged and lamented that, unfortunately, there were injuries.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, stated that one person had been injured and five cars damaged in the Holosiivskyi district after drone wreckage fell in multiple locations.

Tkachenko also reported that a five-story building in the Solomianskyi district caught fire, with seven people requiring medical assistance.

In the Dniprovskyi district, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that two people had been injured.

Authorities in Kyiv’s Obolonskyi district noted that a fire had broken out on the balconies of a nine-story residential building, affecting the third through sixth floors. Five people required medical attention there, with at least four of them suffering from shock but no physical injuries.

The Blockbuster Mall, also in the Obolonskyi district, sustained damage after a Shahed-type drone or its fragments struck the roof, according to a report by Hromadske, which cited mall employees.

According to Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat, the upgraded missiles are equipped with radar traps that are triggered in the final section of the trajectory. Even Patriot systems are finding it harder to shoot down such target.

Ukraine brings home 307 POWs as a second part of the with Russia

Ukraine has brought home 307 soldiers from Russian captivity as part of the second phase of its largest prisoner exchange with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on May 24.

Russia's Defense Ministry reported that 307 Russian prisoners of war (POWs) were also returned from Ukraine and were en route to Belarus.

The exchange follows the agreement reached during Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul on May 16, which yielded the 1,000-for-1,000 swap deal as its only tangible outcome. On May 23, both sides exchanged 390 prisoners each in the first phase of the operation, with the process scheduled to continue until May 25. The Ukrainian and Russian governments confirmed on May 22 that they had finalized the lists of POWs for the exchange.

Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of POWs stated that the newly released Ukrainians included 27 soldiers who had defended Mariupol, as well as troops who had fought in the Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk sectors.

According to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, the youngest among the released Ukrainian soldiers was 25 years old, while the oldest was 61. He noted that for some military units, this marked the first time their personnel had been freed from Russian captivity.

Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, indicated that once the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange is completed, further negotiations with Russia may be possible. On May 1, Deputy Presidential Office Head Iryna Vereshchuk said that at least 8,000 Ukrainian service members remained in Russian custody. Kyiv has not disclosed the number of Russian POWs currently being held in Ukraine.

Zelensky had previously stated that the agreement to release 1,000 Ukrainians was almost the only real achievement of the meeting in Turkey. He added that the Ukrainian side was working diligently to verify the identity and details of every individual listed on Russia’s side.

In an update posted on social media, Zelensky said that 697 Ukrainian soldiers had been returned home over just two days and expressed hope that the process would continue the next day. He also noted that the group released on May 24 included members of the Armed Forces, the State Border Guard Service, and the National Guard of Ukraine.

Russia attacked the port infrastructure in Odesa Oblast overnight

On the night of May 23, 2025, Russian forces launched a significant drone and missile attack on the port infrastructure of Odesa, Ukraine, targeting critical facilities vital for grain exports. The assault caused extensive damage to civilian and commercial infrastructure, including port terminals and grain storage facilities, sparking massive fires and injuring at least three people, as reported by regional governor Oleh Kiper. The attack disrupted local power supplies, with emergency outages reported in three districts, and underscored Russia’s ongoing strategy to undermine Ukraine’s agricultural exports, exacerbating global food security concerns. Ukrainian air defenses managed to intercept some of the drones, but the scale of the assault highlighted the challenges in protecting Odesa’s strategic Black Sea port amid escalating Russian aggression.