The war shows no signs of stopping, it seems to be intensifying despite the ongoing prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. In the early hours of Saturday, Russia carried out a "massive" attack, the largest to date, using 250 drones and 14 ballistic missiles across Ukraine, focusing on Kiev, injuring at least 14 people in the capital.
As bombs and drones continue to fall, Russia and Ukraine exchanged 390 individuals from each side on Friday, including 120 civilians.
This new offensive comes after the Russian Foreign Ministry announced its readiness to deliver to Ukraine a memorandum proposal for the signing of a peace treaty between the two countries following the agreed exchange of one thousand prisoners each on May 16 in Istanbul.
Meanwhile, between May 20 and 23, Ukraine launched the most massive drone attack since the beginning of the war against Russian territory, involving 788 unmanned aerial vehicles.
Russia captures a new town in the Ukrainian region of Sumy
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday the capture of the town of Loknya in the northeastern Ukrainian region of Sumy, and further advances in the annexed Donetsk region, in a statement published on Telegram.
According to the military report, the Ukrainian town, located about five kilometers from the Russian border, "was liberated as a result of successful actions by the troops of the Northern grouping."
The day before, the Russian military command reported the capture of the town of Radkivka in the northeastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, neighboring Sumy.
Ukrainian Intelligence records over 150 executions of prisoners by Russia
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (GUR) has documented over 150 executions of Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russian forces on the battlefield.
"The number of executions on the battlefield is increasing: in many cases, direct orders to kill prisoners have been recorded. These crimes are not isolated incidents but part of a selective policy by the leaders of the aggressor state," GUR stated in a report cited on Saturday by the Ukrainian news agency 'Ukrinform'.
Kiev criticizes Russia for attacking Ukraine instead of sending its "peace memorandum"
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga criticized Russia on Saturday for the recent attacks on his country, which left fifteen injured in Kiev alone, instead of presenting its "peace memorandum" a week after the talks between the warring parties in Istanbul.
Zelensky claims that only new sanctions on Russia will force Moscow to accept a ceasefire
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that only new sanctions against Russia will compel Moscow to accept a ceasefire, according to Reuters.
Tonight's attack was one of the largest combined aerial assaults on Kiev in the three years of the war in Ukraine
Russia launched dozens of attack drones and ballistic missiles against Kiev overnight in one of the largest combined aerial assaults on the Ukrainian capital in the three years of the war, causing damage to several apartment buildings and injuring at least 14 people.
Early in the morning, Reuters witnesses saw and heard successive waves of drones flying over Kiev, with a series of explosions shaking the city. The sound of anti-aircraft batteries trying to shoot down the drones also echoed in the capital.
Ukraine claims to have shot down 245 attack drones and 6 missiles overnight
Ukrainian air forces claimed on Saturday that they had shot down 245 drones and six ballistic missiles in an overnight Russian attack primarily targeting Kiev, where at least 8 were injured, as reported by AFP.
Number of injured rises to 14 in the massive Russian bombardment on Kiev
At least 14 people were injured in one of the largest combined drone and ballistic missile attacks to date on the Ukrainian capital, as reported by the city's military administration in a post on the Telegram messaging app on Saturday.