Ukraine war latest: Ukraine, Russia hold prisoner exchange on Independence Day
Key developments on Aug. 24:
- Ukraine, Russia hold prisoner exchange on Independence Day
- Ukraine strikes Russia with own long-range weapons without coordinating with US, Zelensky says
- Ukraine liberates 3 villages in Donetsk Oblast, military reports on Independence Day
- Drone strikes spark fires at Russian gas terminal and oil refinery
- Russia attacks Ukraine with 72 drones, ballistic missile on Independence Day
Ukraine has brought home another group of soldiers and civilians from Russian captivity on Aug. 24, the country's Independence Day, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced.
The swap follows the series of other exchanges carried out in recent weeks in accordance with an agreement reached between Kyiv and Moscow at the second round of peace talks in Istanbul on June 2.
"Today, our people are returning home — soldiers of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and civilians. Most of them have been in captivity since 2022," Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
Although this time Ukraine has not yet announced the number of people released, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs) said among them were eight civilians, including Ukrainian journalists Dmytro Khyliuk and Mark Kaliush and former mayor of Kherson, Volodymyr Mykolaienko.
Khyliuk, a journalist with the UNIAN news agency, was kidnapped alongside his father from their home in Kyiv Oblast in March 2022, while the area was under Russian occupation.
Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed Ukraine brought back 146 of their POWs, and they released the same number of Ukrainian POWs.
According to the Coordination Headquarters, among the released Ukrainian soldiers are representatives from almost all defense forces, including the Airborne Assault, Air Force, Navy, as well as Territorial Defense, National Guard, and the State Border Guard Services.
Among the released civilians is medic Serhiy Kovalov from the Hospitallers Medical Battalion, "who saved the lives of both defenders and civilians during the siege at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol," in the spring of 2022, Coordination Headquarters reported.
"Exchanges are ongoing. And this is made possible, perhaps, thanks to our soldiers, who replenish Ukraine’s exchange pool; our team, working every day; and our partners, who provide assistance," Zelensky said.
Ukraine strikes Russia with own long-range weapons without coordinating with US, Zelensky says
Ukraine uses domestically produced weapons to carry out long-range strikes against Russia and does not coordinate such attacks with the U.S., President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press conference during Ukraine's Independence Day on Aug. 24.
Zelensky's statement follows a recent report by the Wall Street Journal saying that the U.S. has quietly implemented a review process giving Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authority to bar Ukrainian long-range strikes inside Russia with American missiles, effectively blocking strikes for months.
An unnamed official told WSJ that the unannounced high-level Defense Department approval process has prevented the use of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) against targets inside Russia since late spring.
At a press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Aug. 24, Zelensky said no such restrictions were being discussed, noting that Ukraine strikes targets inside Russia using domestically produced weapons.
"At the moment, we are using our long-range domestically produced weapons, and we haven’t been discussing such matters with the U.S. lately. There was a time when there were different signals regarding our retaliatory strikes after their (Russian) attacks on our energy system," Zelensky said.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Aug. 21 said that Ukraine had "no chance of winning" if not permitted to attack Russia and criticized former U.S. President Joe Biden for not letting Kyiv "fight back, only defend."
Despite this, Trump has previously said he disagreed "very vehemently" with the previous White House administration's decision to permit Ukrainian long-range strikes against Russia with U.S. weapons.
Ukraine liberates 3 villages in Donetsk Oblast, military reports on Independence Day
Ukrainian troops have liberated three front-line villages in Donetsk Oblast from occupying Russian forces, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi announced on Aug. 24, Ukraine's Independence Day.
Syrskyi's report followed a working visit to combat zones in eastern Ukraine, where Russia has steadily gained ground in recent months, particularly near the embattled logistics hub of Pokrovsk.
Ukrainian forces "successfully counterattacked and cleared" the villages of Zelenyi Hai, Mykhailivka, and Volodymyrivka, Syrskyi said in a social media post published by Ukraine's General Staff.
"(D)efending Ukrainian independence and the Ukrainian flag is not just empty words, but a daily risk and a daily feat," Syrskyi said.
Zelenyi Hai in Volnovakha district is located approximately 90 to 100 kilometers (about 56 to 62 miles) southwest of the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk. The military first reported the regaining control of the village on Aug. 23.
The three liberated villages are all located south of Pokrovsk.
Syrskyi acknowledged in his report that Pokrovsk remains the "most difficult" area of the front and said Ukrainian troops "must hold the line" as Russia continues to concentrate the bulk of its forces in that region.
Drone strikes spark fires at Russian gas terminal and oil refinery
Drones struck a gas terminal in Russia's Leningrad Oblast and an oil refinery in Samara Oblast on Aug. 24, the Russian Telegram news channel Astra reported, citing local reports and footage of the attacks.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces confirmed that Military Intelligence, the Unmanned Systems Forces, and other defense forces are behind the strike on the Syzran oil refinery in Samara region, which "specializes in the production of gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, and other petroleum supplied to the Russian troops."
"The Syzran refinery has a design capacity of up to 8.5 million tons of crude oil per year, accounting for around 3.08% of Russia’s total oil refining volume," General Staff wrote on Telegram.
The results of the attack are being clarified, the General Staff said.
A source in Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) also earlier confirmed that the agency was behind the attack on the liquefied natural gas terminal in Leningrad region.
“Russia trades oil and gas through this terminal with the help of a ‘shadow fleet.’ Drone sanctions from the SBU reduce the inflow of foreign currency that Russia needs to wage war,” a source in the SBU told the Kyiv Independent.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed 95 Ukrainian drones were shot down over 13 regions, as well as occupied Crimea, on Aug. 24.
Following the attacks, several Russian airports, including Pulkovo at St. Petersburg, temporarily suspended operations, delaying over 60 flights.
Russia attacks Ukraine with 72 drones, ballistic missile on Independence Day
Russia launched 72 drones and a ballistic missile at Ukraine overnight on Aug. 24, the country's Independence Day, the Air Force reported.
Ukraine shot down a total of 48 drones, while a missile and 24 Shahed attack drones struck 10 locations, the Air Force said, without specifying the targets.
According to the report, the attacks were launched from Russia’s Kursk, Millerovo, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk.
Apart from the overnight attack, Russian troops also continued targeting Ukrainian cities over the past day, killing three and injuring at least three more, according to local authorities.
One person was killed in a Russian strike on Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, Governor Vadym Filashkin said.
Another person was killed in Russian attacks on Kherson Oblast, according to local Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. Two more people, including a child, were injured there.
Russian troops also hit Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with drones and guided aerial bombs, killing a 47-year-old woman, Governor Serhii Lysak said.
In Sumy Oblast, a Russian airstrike injured a 45-year-old man, the region's military administration reported. A total of 36 settlements were under attacks there, the authorities said.
Over the past 24 hours, two people were injured in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.
Russian troops carried out a total of 478 attacks on 11 settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, using drones, artillery, and air bombs, Fedorov said.
Russia also attacked Kharkiv Oblast with two guided aerial bombs and seven drones over the past day, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported. There were no reported casualties.
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