Russia-Ukraine war: 3 more settlements captured, ‘largest prisoner swap’, massive overnight airstrikes — Top 10 points

The Russian Defence Ministry reportedly said on Saturday that its troops captured two settlements in the Donetsk region as well as one in Ukraine's northern region of Sumy. The development came as the two warring nations held a 'largest prisoner swap' on May 23 and May 24. Besides, Russia allegedly launched massive drone-and-missile attack on Ukraine, leaving several dead.

Here's all the latest updates on the Russia-Ukraine war:

1. Russia has reportedly stepped up its attack on Ukraine. A massive Russian drone-and-missile attack killed at least nine people and injured dozens in Ukraine overnight to Sunday, officials were quoted by the AFP as saying.

Four people were reported dead in the western Khmelnytskyi region, four in the Kyiv region – which came under attack for the second night running – and one in Mykolaiv in the south.

2. The latest attack came as the two sides pursue their biggest prisoner swap since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian media TASS reported on Sunday (May 25) that the Defence Ministry of Russia said earlier that 307 Russian servicemen were returned from Ukraine in accordance with bilateral agreements reached in Istanbul. In return, 307 Ukrainian servicemen were returned. This was the second prisoners swap.

In the first swap on May 23, Russia's Defense Ministry said that 270 soldiers and 120 civilians had returned to Russia. In turn, 270 Ukrainian soldiers and 120 civilians were brought back home to Ukraine, Kiev Independent reported.

The exchange has been a rare moment of cooperation between the warring sides.

3. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Zvezda television that the latest exchange of prisoners of war with Ukraine that was proposed by Russia has proved the West is wrong in alleging that Moscow doesn’t want to negotiate.

"This is an effective, practical example of how our country behaves on the world stage, including in the context of the Ukrainian crisis. This example completely knocks down the arguments of the entire liberal-Western community alleging that Russia does not want negotiations, that it is not ready," she was quoted by reports as saying.

4. Meanwhile, Russian troops have upped the intensity of their offensive in Donetsk Oblast in recent weeks. According to Ukrainian reports, “an unsettling situation for Ukrainian troops is now unfolding south of the town of Kostiantynivka...”

Russian troops reportedly advanced toward Kostiantynivka from two directions, slowly closing in on the Ukrainian pocket west of Toretsk.

5. At least nine people were killed in a massive Russian drone-and-missile attack targeting Ukraine for a second consecutive night, officials said early Sunday. The attack took place on the third day of a planned prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine – the only tangible outcome from peace talks in Istanbul earlier.

6. In talks held in Istanbul earlier this month — the first time the two sides met face to face for peace talks since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion — Kyiv and Moscow agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war and civilian detainees each. They failed to reach a ceasefire deal.