Closing summary
Russian strikes killed at least 12 people in Ukraine overnight, officials said, with the highest number of drones and missiles launched in a single night since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Three siblings – aged 8, 12 and 17 years old – were killed in Zhytomyr, west of Kyiv, four people in the Kyiv region were killed, one in Mykolaiv in the south, and four in the Khmelnytskyi region, according to reports.
Odesa, Dnipro, Sumy, Konotop, Chernihiv, Ternopil and Kharkiv were also reportedly hit.
Ukraine’s air force said on Sunday that Russia attacked the country with 298 drones and 69 missiles overnight. It said it downed 45 missiles and 266 drones.
Russian air defences, meanwhile, intercepted 110 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 13 over the Moscow and Tver regions, the country’s defence ministry said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
In Moscow, restrictions were imposed on at least four airports, including the main hub Sheremetyevo, the Russian civilian aviation authority said.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for fresh sanctions on Russia after the attack and said “silence” from the US and “others around the world” is encouraging Vladimir Putin’s continuing attacks.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, called for “the strongest international pressure” on Russia to stop the war following the massive aerial assault on Ukraine.
The attack came a day after Kyiv suffered one of the heaviest assaults of the war.
Russian troops took control of the village of Romanivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, the Russian defence ministry said on Sunday.
Ukraine and Russia have completed a “1,000 for 1,000” prisoner swap after three days of exchanges. On Sunday, Ukraine and Russia each confirmed 303 of their soldiers had returned home - in the final stage of the largest-ever such swap between Kyiv and Moscow.
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Updated
Three siblings killed in Russian attack on the Zhytomyr region of Ukraine identified
Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister Mariana Betsa has shared a picture naming the three children who were killed when their family home in the Zhytomyr region, west of Kyiv, was struck in Russia’s overnight attack.
Betsa said they were siblings Stanislav, aged eight, Tamara, 12 and Roman, 17.
Just crying… can’t imagine the pain of the grieved parents. Russia killed three siblings today: Stanislav, Roman and Tamara.
— Mariana Betsa (@Mariana_Betsa) May 25, 2025
Roman forever 17😢
Stanislav forever 8😢
Tamara forever 12😢
Deepest condolences to the family … RIP, angels #StopRussia #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/JiFklvxKRZ
Updated
