At least 24 people have been killed following a Moscow-led strike that collapsed an apartment building in Kyiv.

In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a stern warning, asserting that targeting Russia's oil industry and military production facilities is "completely justified."

According to an Al Jazeera report on Friday (May 15), Zelenskyy declared that the Russian attacks would not go unanswered. He stated that he had held high-level discussions regarding long-range strikes with top military, security, and intelligence officials.

Meanwhile, a day of mourning was observed in Kyiv to honor the victims of Thursday's attack, which completely destroyed a nine-story residential building in the capital’s Darnytskyi district.

The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that a total of 24 people, including three children, lost their lives in the bombardment. This marks Russia's largest aerial assault on Ukraine since the outbreak of the war over four years ago.

Zelenskyy further revealed that Russia is preparing to strike more than 20 critical decision-making centers across Ukraine. These targets reportedly include his office and official residence, alongside various government buildings and military command posts.

In retaliation for the Russian strikes, Ukraine launched a counter-offensive on Friday. The country deployed a wave of long-range drones targeting energy and military infrastructure across several Russian regions.

According to a local regional governor, at least four people, including a child, were killed in a drone strike in the city of Ryazan. A Ukrainian drone also struck one of Russia's largest oil refineries.

Emotional Prisoner Exchange Under US-Brokered Truce
Amidst the escalation, emotional scenes unfolded on Friday as the two nations completed a swap of 205 prisoners of war (POWs) each. Video footage showed released Ukrainian soldiers weeping with emotion, while Russian soldiers cheered upon their return.

Al Jazeera reported that this prisoner exchange was part of a larger agreement linked to a three-day ceasefire brokered last week by US President Donald Trump. Under the framework of this deal, both sides are slated to exchange a total of 1,000 prisoners each.

In addition to the living POWs, the bodies of fallen soldiers were also repatriated. Russia handed over 526 bodies to Ukraine, receiving the remains of 41 of its own soldiers in return.
Source: Al Jazeera