Russian drone strikes hit Odesa and Kharkiv killing one and injuring dozens, Russia and Ukraine conduct new prisoner swap

Russian drones struck the Ukrainian cities of Odesa and Kharkiv overnight, killing at least one person and injuring nearly two dozen civilians, Ukrainian officials reported Friday. 

The attacks come as the Kremlin signaled that new dates for direct peace negotiations with Ukraine could be announced as early as next week.

According to officials, the southern port city of Odesa and the northeastern city of Kharkiv were hit by a barrage of more than 20 drones, many of which struck residential buildings. Among the injured were two girls, aged 12 and 17.

“Russia continues its campaign of targeted terror against our people,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. He urged the United States and European Union to tighten economic sanctions against Moscow in response to the escalating violence.

More than three years into the war, Russia has shown no signs of scaling back its aggression. Its forces continue to press a summer offensive along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, while launching long-range attacks that frequently target civilian infrastructure.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that discussions were underway to finalize a date for renewed peace talks. While Kyiv has not recently commented on the possibility of direct negotiations, Ukraine has continued to push for a ceasefire and backs U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

The last talks between the two sides were held in Istanbul on June 2. Those meetings resulted in limited agreements on prisoner swaps and the treatment of wounded soldiers.

In Odesa, Russia’s drone strike ignited a fire that partially collapsed a four-story apartment building, injuring three emergency responders. Another blaze broke out in a 23-story high-rise, forcing the evacuation of roughly 600 residents.

In Kharkiv, Ukrainian emergency services said at least eight drones struck civilian infrastructure, wounding four people, including two children.

Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 80 Shahed and decoy drones during the night. Ukrainian air defenses successfully shot down or electronically jammed 70 of them.

Russia and Ukraine exchanged groups of captured soldiers on Friday, continuing a series of prisoner swaps agreed upon during peace talks held in Istanbul earlier this month.

While the negotiations did not lead to progress on a ceasefire, both sides agreed to the release of more than 1,000 prisoners of war from each side, prioritizing those who were wounded, ill, or under the age of 25.

“A group of Russian servicemen was returned from territory controlled by the Kyiv regime. In exchange, a group of Ukrainian prisoners of war was handed over,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that many of the freed Ukrainian soldiers had spent over two years in Russian captivity.

Neither Moscow nor Kyiv disclosed the exact number of soldiers released in Friday’s exchange.

Footage shared by Russia’s Defense Ministry showed Russian soldiers in uniform, draped in national flags and chanting “Russia, Russia.” In contrast, Zelensky posted emotional images of Ukrainian soldiers, visibly moved as they reunited with family members, wrapped in the blue-and-yellow flag.

Despite numerous similar exchanges since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, this remains one of the few active channels of dialogue between the two countries.

Two rounds of peace talks in Istanbul have so far failed to produce any agreement toward halting the war.

Russia has continued to reject calls for an unconditional ceasefire and insists that any truce must include Ukraine relinquishing additional territory and abandoning Western military assistance—terms Kyiv has refused.