©picture alliance / Anadolu | Danylo Antoniuk
On Wednesday night, Russia once again carried out heavy bombing raids on Ukraine's capital Kiev. The death toll has now risen to 24, including three children among those killed. This heartbreaking news is reported by Ukrainian emergency services.
Forty-seven people were also injured in the Russian airstrikes on Kiev Wednesday night. Several of them are in serious condition and in mortal danger.
During the large-scale Russian airstrike, a dozen districts in the Ukrainian capital and its immediate surroundings were targeted. The Darnytsky district was particularly hard hit. There, a nine-story apartment building was completely razed to the ground by Russian missiles and kamikaze drones.
According to the Ukrainian military, Russia fired 675 drones and 56 rockets. 652 and 41 could be intercepted, respectively. Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky talks about"more than 1,560 drones" in less than 24 hours. "These are certainly and surely not the actions of those who think the war is coming to an end," the Ukrainian leader referred to recent statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A day of national mourning will be held on Friday in Kiev to honor the slain Ukrainians, their families and relatives.
Russia and Ukraine also exchanged 205 POWs each on Friday. This was reported by the Russian military. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed this report. According to the Russian military, the United Arab Emirates mediated the exchange.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, with troops coming from Crimea, Belarus and western Russia. For years, tension has been brewing between the two countries. There has been a Russian-Ukrainian conflict since 2014, with Russia's annexation of Crimea and fighting in the east (Donbas). An end to the bloody conflict does not yet seem immediately possible.
©picture alliance / Anadolu | Danylo Antoniuk - Illustration image of a commemoration that took place in Kiev on March 16, 2024.