Russia's brutal combined attacks on Ukraine and largest prisoner swap – Weekend brief
RBC-Ukraine collage
Over the weekend, Russia carried out a series of massive combined attacks on Ukrainian territory. At the same time, the largest prisoner exchange took place.
Read more about what happened over the weekend.
Prisoner exchange in "1,000 for 1,000" format
On Friday, May 23, the first stage of the largest prisoner exchange since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
On the first day, 390 people were released: 270 military personnel and 120 civilians. Among those freed were servicemen from the Navy, Air Assault Forces, National Guard, Territorial Defense Forces, and border guards.
On the second day, Saturday, May 24, Ukraine brought back 307 defenders, including 27 soldiers from Mariupol and members of several other military units released for the first time.
Yesterday, May 25, marked the final stage of the exchange. Another 303 Ukrainians were returned from captivity, including 70 defenders of Mariupol.
RBC-Ukraine shared exclusive footage of the large-scale exchange, published by the Security Service of Ukraine.
Return of Azov fighters from captivity
It should be noted that after the final stage of the "1,000 for 1,000" exchange, the Commander of the 1st Corps of Azov National Guard of Ukraine Denys Prokopenko stated that no servicemen from the Azov brigade were included in the exchange.
The Main Intelligence Directorate explained how the exchange lists were compiled this time. Later, intelligence representative Andrii Yusov explained to RBC-Ukraine why Russia is not returning Azov fighters to Ukraine.
Attack on Kyiv on May 24
On the night of May 24, Russia launched a combined strike on the capital of Ukraine.
In total, Russia fired 14 Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 250 drones at Ukraine. Air defense forces shot down six ballistic missiles and neutralized 245 enemy UAVs.
Debris from enemy targets fell in six districts of Kyiv. The Solomianskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, and Obolonskyi districts suffered the most. As of the morning, 15 injuries were reported.
A multi-story building and a shopping center in the Obolonskyi district were damaged. At least four locations sustained damage.
More about the consequences of the attack on Kyiv is available in an RBC-Ukraine report.
Attack on Ukraine on May 25
On the night of May 25, Russia carried out one of the largest air attacks on Ukraine, launching hundreds of drones and nearly 70 missiles.
Explosions were reported in several regions, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Konotop, Sumy, Ternopil, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Chernihiv, and Zaporizhzhia.
RBC-Ukraine compiled all the details of the combined air attack by Russia in a report.
Ukrainian General Staff reveals how replenished POW exchange fund in Kursk operation
In August last year, the Ukrainian Defense Forces launched an offensive operation in Russia’s Kursk region.
During the operation, Ukrainian forces added nearly 1,000 individuals to the exchange fund.
Moscow reports drone attacks
On Sunday, May 25, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed the city was allegedly attacked by several drones. As a result, operations at three Russian airports were temporarily suspended.
More details about Russia's claims of the attack on Moscow can be found in a report.
Ukraine wins European gold in synchronized diving after 26-year wait
Ukrainian athletes won two gold medals this weekend at the European Diving Championships in Antalya. Thanks to this success, the Ukrainian team currently leads the tournament medal tally.
The Ukrainian duo Kseniia Bochek and Diana Karnafel scored 276.84 points, beating their closest German rivals by 10.89 points.
This is Ukraine's first gold medal in this discipline in 26 years.
At the same time, Oleksii Sereda became a three-time European champion in the 10-meter platform diving event.
With a score of 468.65 points in the final of the individual 10-meter platform dive, Sereda beat his closest competitor, German Oli Rossler, by 29.20 points, securing the victory.
