Russia launches nearly 300 drones at Ukraine as 528 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers are returned

By Emma De Ruiter Published on 16/05/2026 - 13:24 GMT+2•Updated 13:27 Share Comments Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp Copy/paste the article video embed link below: Copied

Russian forces launched hundreds of strikes across Ukraine overnight, with direct hits by drones recorded at 15 locationsm Ukraine's Air Force said. Meanwhile, the bodies of 528 Ukrainian soldiers were returned a day after Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war.

At least one person was killed in an overnight Russian attack across Ukraine, a day after the warring countries exchanged 205 prisoners of war each, and as the bodies of 528 Ukrainian soldiers were returned.

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Ukraine's Air Force said 294 drones were launched by Russia overnight, adding that 269 of them were shot down. It said direct hits were recorded by 20 drones at 15 locations.

In Kherson, five high-rise residential buildings and 19 houses were damaged in the strikes, killing one and injuring 23 more people, according to regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.

In Ukraine's Odesa, Kharkiv and Sumy regions, more critical and civilian infrastructure was targeted by Russian strikes overnight.

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39 settlements were left without power across Odesa after the region's power infrastructure was damaged, affecting more than 22,000 consumers.

In Kharkiv, key transport infrastructure was damaged, including a road, two metro stations, the electric transport contact network, a trolleybus, and a public transport stop.

Seven people were injured in Sumy after an office building, an ambulance, minibuses and cars were hit.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack reportedly killed one person in the Russian border region of Belgorod, according to local authorities.

The attack hit a vehicle in the town of Krasnaya Yaruga and killed a "civilian", according to a statement from the regional authorities.

Bodies of Ukrainian soldiers returned

Saturday's attacks came as Russia returned the bodies of 528 Ukrainian soldiers killed in action.

"As a result of repatriation efforts, the bodies of 528 deceased individuals have been returned to Ukraine; according to the Russian side, they may be Ukrainian servicemen," Ukraine's prisoners of war centre stated on social media, without specifying when the remains were received.

Investigators and experts "will take all necessary steps to identify the repatriated deceased", the centre said.

A day earlier, the two warring countries exchanged 205 prisoners of war each, following an announcement from US President Donald Trump last week of a three-day ceasefire from 9-11 May, as well as an exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Friday's exchange of prisoners marked the first phase of the swap announced by Trump.

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago, exchanges of prisoners and the remains of fallen fighters have been one of the few areas of cooperation between Moscow and Kyiv.

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Ukraine and Russia swap 205 prisoners of war each in US-brokered exchange

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• POW exchange
• Drone Strike
• Russia's invasion of Ukraine