Russian strikes intensify as Ukraine, Moscow push for Easter prisoner swap

Russian aerial attacks on civilian areas across Ukraine killed at least two people and injured several others on Thursday, even as Moscow and Kyiv intensified efforts to arrange a prisoner exchange ahead of Orthodox Easter .

Officials in Ukraine reported multiple strikes across key regions. In Synelnykove, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, one person was killed while a woman and a child were injured. In Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, a residential building caught fire following a strike, injuring an elderly woman. Another deadly attack in Chernihiv claimed one life and wounded a teenage girl. Ukrainian authorities also said Russia launched a large-scale drone assault , firing over 170 drones overnight, most of which were intercepted by air defence systems.

Despite the escalation, both sides are working toward what is being described as a potential Easter prisoner exchange, a rare area of cooperation in an otherwise stalled conflict. Such exchanges involve swapping captured soldiers and detainees and have remained one of the few tangible outcomes of US-brokered negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova confirmed that preparations are underway, while Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov expressed hope for a “major exchange” in the coming days.

The continuation of attacks underscores the deep mistrust between the two sides . Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed a temporary Easter ceasefire , but the Kremlin has rejected short-term truces. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Russia seeks a comprehensive and lasting settlement rather than symbolic pauses. Previous attempts at holiday ceasefires have failed, with both sides accusing each other of violations, including a unilateral truce declared last year by Vladimir Putin.

The United States continues to play a mediating role , primarily facilitating dialogue and humanitarian measures such as prisoner swaps. However, Washington has struggled to resolve the core political and territorial disputes , which remain the biggest obstacles to ending the war, now in its fifth year.

As Orthodox Easter approaches, hopes for a humanitarian breakthrough persist, but ongoing strikes highlight the fragile and limited scope of cooperation between the warring sides.