Russia launches largest aerial attack of Ukraine war, killing at least 12

Russian forces launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities overnight including the capital Kyiv in the largest aerial attack of the war so far killing at least people and injuring dozens more agents declared The dead included three children in the northern region of Zhytomyr local functionaries there announced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the United States which has taken a softer residents line on Russia and its leader Vladimir Putin since President Donald Trump took office to speak out The silence of America the silence of others in the world only encourages Putin he wrote on Telegram TRUMP TALKS WITH PUTIN SPARS WITH SOUTH AFRICAN LEADER THREATENS EU TARIFF HIKE IN TH WEEK IN OFFICE Every such terrorist Russian strike is reason enough for new sanctions against Russia Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko declared people had been killed and more wounded Earlier death tolls given separately by regional functionaries and rescuers had put the number of dead at This was a combined ruthless strike aimed at civilians The enemy once again evidenced that its goal is fear and death he wrote on Telegram The assault comes as Ukraine and Russia prepare to conduct the third and final day of a prisoner swap in which both sides will exchange a total of people each U S Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg announced on Sunday the attack was a clear violation of the Geneva Peace Protocols and called for an immediate ceasefire Ukraine and its European allies have sought to push Moscow into signing a -day ceasefire as a first step to negotiating an end to the three-year war Their efforts suffered a blow earlier this week when Trump declined to place further sanctions on Moscow for not agreeing to an immediate pause in fighting as Kyiv had sought Ukraine's air force mentioned Russia had launched drones and missiles in its overnight assault although it noted it was able to down drones and missiles Damage extended to a string of regional centers including Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv as well as Mykolaiv in the south and Ternopil in the west UKRAINE RUSSIA PRISONER SWAP NOT A 'CONFIDENCE BUILDING MEASURE' THAT WILL LEAD TO PEACE NEGOTIATIONS EX-CIA STATION CHIEFIn Kyiv Tymur Tkachenko head of the city's military administration mentioned people were injured in drone strikes No deaths were announced in the capital although four were killed in the region around the city according to executives This was the second large aerial attack in two days On Friday evening Russia launched dozens of drones and ballistic missiles at Kyiv in waves that continued through the night In northeastern Ukraine Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported early on Sunday that drones hit three city districts and injured three people Blasts shattered windows in high-rise apartment blocks Drone strikes killed a -year-old man and injured five people in the southern city of Mykolaiv the regional governor disclosed He published a picture of a residential apartment block with a large hole from an explosion and rubble scattered over the ground In the western region of Khmelnytskyi a great number of hundreds of kilometers away from the frontlines of fighting four people were killed and five others wounded according to the governor Without pressure nothing will change and Russia and its allies will only build up forces for such murders in Western countries the Ukrainian president's chief of staff Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram Moscow will fight as long as it has the ability to produce weapons Russia's Defence Ministry announced that its air defence units had intercepted or destroyed Ukrainian drones over a four-hour period The Mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin reported Ukrainian drones had been intercepted on their way to the capital