Prisoner swap goes ahead as Kyiv mourns 24 killed in Russian strike on flats
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- Russia and Ukraine exchanged 205 prisoners of war on Friday.
- Rescue workers completed a 28‑hour search of a destroyed Kyiv apartment block, confirming 24 civilian deaths, including three girls.
- President Zelensky said most Ukrainian prisoners had been held since 2022 and that the building was levelled by a Russian X‑101 cruise missile.
- Russian officials said Ukrainian drones killed four people, including a child, in Ryazan and injured 28 others, damaging two apartment blocks.
- Ukrainian drone commander claimed his forces hit Ryazan’s oil refinery, one of Russia’s largest.
Why it matters: Ukrainian families lose loved ones while the prisoner swap gives 205 soldiers hope of return; the civilian death toll fuels Kyiv’s resolve and pressures Russia amid escalating strikes.
