rki.news
KYIV, May 15 — Russia and Ukraine exchanged 205 prisoners of war on Friday, just hours after rescue teams concluded search operations at a destroyed apartment block in Kyiv that killed 24 civilians, including three girls.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said most of the released Ukrainian prisoners had been held since 2022. The exchange took place amid a brief ceasefire that ended this week following renewed large-scale Russian strikes across Ukraine, including a missile attack that reduced an 18-flat residential building to rubble.
Kyiv marked a day of mourning as emergency crews finished a 28-hour operation in the Darnytskyi district, where residents and soldiers had gathered throughout the search for missing relatives. Among the victims were families, a kindergarten teacher, and two employees of postal service Nova Poshta, both named Dmytro.
Elsewhere, Russian officials said four people, including a child, were killed when Ukrainian drones struck Ryazan, southeast of Moscow. Local authorities reported damage to residential buildings, while Ukraine said its forces targeted an oil refinery in the region.
The prisoner swap and parallel strikes highlight continued escalation despite intermittent diplomatic and ceasefire efforts, with both sides accusing each other of targeting civilian areas and critical infrastructure during ongoing hostilities.