• Dozens of individuals, including U.S. citizen, were released.
• There has been a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine.
• The latest exchange involved 64 Ukrainian soldiers and a US citizen living in Ukraine.

Dozens of individuals, including a U.S. citizen, were released in the latest prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine.

The latest exchange involved 64 Ukrainian soldiers and a US citizen living in Ukraine, said Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s spokesman.

Yermak identified the American as Suedi Murekezi, who had been “supporting our people” He was vague.

White House spokesman John Kirby didn’t name the freed American, citing privacy concerns.

Kirby welcomed the news.

Ukraine’s east and south are blazing, and Kyiv was attacked by a drone on Wednesday. Since the Russian assault began on February 24, tens of thousands have been murdered, millions are homeless, and cities are left to rubble.

Zelenskyy claimed in his evening video message that Russia was demolishing eastern villages with artillery, leaving behind rubble and holes.

Zelenskyy said Russia should start evacuating by Christmas to end Europe’s largest battle since World War II.

Moscow rejected the proposal, saying Ukraine must cede territory to Russia first. It warned Wednesday there was no likelihood of a “Christmas ceasefire,” despite prisoner releases revealing some interaction.

In recent weeks, hundreds of detainees have been freed in exchange, and talks to restore Russian exports of a fertilizer ingredient and extend a grain arrangement have made progress.

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) offered a prisoner swap deal but said it was up to Russia and Ukraine to strike an agreement.

ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said a substantial swap might establish confidence and was “the first step to a broader deal.”

Neither the Red Cross nor the two sides have released exact war prisoner figures, but there are likely thousands.

Murekezi was released in the latest trade, according to an anonymous US official.

The spokesman stated Russian forces detained Murekezi near Kherson. Murekezi, a US air force veteran, was detained by Russian soldiers in June, according to Project Dynamo.

Since October, Russia has targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in what it calls a “special military operation.” Kyiv has asked its Western partners for help bolstering the country’s air defenses.

The US may announce Thursday that it will give Ukraine the Patriot missile defense system.

Moscow says sending the Patriot to Ukraine is fair game.

The Russian embassy in Washington, DC warned a Patriot missile delivery would be “another provocative step by the administration.”

Such a deployment would “harm Russian-American relations and increase global security dangers,” it said.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine was trying to get sophisticated anti-aircraft and anti-drone systems. Russian attacks have damaged the country’s utility networks, cutting off water and electricity and leaving millions without heat.

In the past 24 hours, Ukraine’s military reported, “the enemy launched one air and 11 missile strikes, three targeting civilian infrastructure… [and] more than 60 multiple rocket launcher attacks.”

After a series of quick Ukrainian counter-offensives, Kyiv regained nearly half the land Moscow won in the initial weeks of the war. Since then, neither side has achieved substantial territorial gains.