Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has vowed further “retribution” against Russia, as Ukraine and Russia exchanged 230 prisoners of war following Ukraine’s surprise offensive in the Kursk region. Zelenskiy released a video near the site of the incursion, stating that what Russia brought to Ukraine has now returned home.
This prisoner exchange, facilitated by the United Arab Emirates, involved 115 prisoners from each side and marked the first such exchange since Ukraine’s Kursk operation began. The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that the captured servicemen were taken in the Kursk region.
Zelenskiy described the operation in Kursk as a preventive strike aimed at stopping Russian attacks in northern Ukraine and near Sumy. During a news conference in Kyiv, he acknowledged the difficulties of the operation but expressed optimism about its progress.
Meanwhile, a Russian strike in the eastern city of Kostyantynivka, located near the frontline in the Donetsk region, killed five people, prompting evacuations from the logistics hub of Pokrovsk due to fears of advancing Russian forces.
In Russia’s Belgorod region, Ukrainian shelling killed five civilians and injured 12, including three children, according to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. These reports have not been independently verified, and there was no immediate response from Ukraine.
Additionally, five drones were downed over Russia’s Voronezh region, wounding two people, while drone activity was reported in Bryansk and missile interceptions in the Kursk region.
Ukraine has requested Western permission to use long-range Storm Shadow missiles to target sites deep inside Russia, believing this could pressure Moscow into negotiations. Ukrainian military intelligence claimed responsibility for a drone attack that destroyed a warehouse storing 5,000 tonnes of ammunition in Russia’s Voronezh region.
Videos appearing to show the explosions circulated, although they could not be independently verified. The governor of Voronezh declared a state of emergency and evacuated 200 people from a nearby village following the strikes.
Ukraine commemorated its 33rd Independence Day with solemnity, foregoing traditional celebrations in favor of honoring those killed in the ongoing war with Russia. President Zelenskiy shared a message emphasizing resilience and defiance against Russian aggression.
In Kyiv, people paraded in traditional festive attire and posed in front of national symbols. Additionally, Zelenskiy promoted Commander-in-Chief Oleksander Syrskyi to a four-star general, acknowledging his role in the recent Kursk operation. Syrskyi, who has lived in Ukraine since the 1980s, was born in Russia’s Vladimir region in 1965.
