Russia and Ukraine Launch Airstrikes on Each Other’s Capitals... Exchange of Fallen Soldiers’ Bodies Amid Diplomatic Standoff

Photo related to the Russo-Ukrainian War. Not directly related to the article. Photo by Reuters and Yonhap News Agency

Russia and Ukraine engaged in overnight military clashes, targeting each other's capitals.

According to AFP and other sources on the 18th (local time), the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, was attacked overnight by Russian drones and ballistic missiles. This marks the second strike within a week, following Russia’s large-scale air raid on the 15th that killed two people. Kyiv authorities stated, "Russia carried out a ballistic missile attack on the capital," and advised citizens to evacuate to safe locations. Air raid sirens sounded not only in Kyiv but across Ukraine, and in the northeastern Sumy region, one person was killed in a Russian drone attack.

During the same time frame, Ukraine also launched a drone attack toward the Russian capital, Moscow. Numerous drones struck a Moscow oil refinery, resulting in a large fire and causing flight operations at Sheremetyevo Airport to be partially suspended. Russian military and regional authorities stated that 500 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight, including 180 targeting Moscow. The Russian state-run TASS news agency analyzed that "this airstrike on Moscow is the largest in the past two years."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized, "This attack is a fully justified response to Russia’s barbaric assaults on our cities and communities," adding, "It is now necessary to take the required diplomatic measures against Russia."

Ukraine’s latest attack draws attention as it occurred immediately after the Group of Seven (G7) summit, where consensus was formed to intensify pressure on Russia. In particular, the recent G7 meeting in France saw U.S. President Donald Trump—previously lukewarm on Russia sanctions—hint at the possibility of resuming oil sanctions against Russia, signaling a shift toward a tougher stance.

In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin countered with diplomatic measures by attending the Russia-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit held in Kazan, western Russia.

There are also rising expectations that Russia-Ukraine ceasefire negotiations, which were suspended in March following a U.S.-Iran peace agreement, could resume. Recently, as calls have grown among European allies to engage in direct dialogue with Russia, it has been reported that the office of European Council President António Costa has made initial contact with President Putin’s side to open a communication channel.

Meanwhile, despite fierce confrontation both on and off the battlefield, the two countries have also taken humanitarian steps by exchanging the bodies of fallen soldiers. According to foreign media, on the 18th, Russia and Ukraine received 33 and 522 bodies of their fallen soldiers, respectively, from the opposing side. This body exchange comes about a month after both sides swapped 205 prisoners of war each and exchanged the remains of the fallen (526 from Ukraine and 41 from Russia) on the 15th of last month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.