Russia launched its largest aerial assault of its three-year war on Ukraine overnight, targeting the capital and other regions with missiles and drones for a second night in a row, even as the two sides prepared to conclude a major prisoner exchange.

Russia and Ukraine have swapped hundreds more prisoners of war, the third and last part of a major swap, hours after a massive attack by Moscow, killing at least 12.

As Ukrainian drones strike deep into Russian territory, they are disrupting day-to-day life and reminding Russians that the war is not confined to the trenches.

Unjammable, lethal, and accurate, fibre-optic tethered drones are revolutionizing the battlefield — and giving Moscow an advantage.