► Ukraine and Russia exchange more than 100 prisoners of war each
Ukraine and Russia announced on Monday (April 10th) that they had carried out a new exchange of prisoners of war concerning more than 100 soldiers on each side, the first exchange of its kind in more than a month.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported in a statement the repatriation of 106 Russian soldiers, who it said were “in mortal danger” during their detention. The servicemen will be flown to Moscow to receive medical treatment and psychological assistance, he added.
The head of the Ukrainian presidential administration has announced the return of 100 soldiers to Ukraine. “We are repatriating 100 of our men – they are soldiers, sailors, border guards and members of the National Guard”he said, referring to an exchange « difficile ». “Some people have been seriously injured and are suffering from illnesses. We will do everything necessary to ensure that each of them receives all the help they need.”he specified.
The last exchange of prisoners between kyiv and Moscow dates from March 7, when Ukraine had recovered 130 of its soldiers and Russia 90.
► The leader of the Russian occupation of Donetsk in Bakhmout
The head of the Russian occupation of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, Denis Pushilin, visited central Bakhmout, the epicenter for months of fighting in Ukraine and where the Russians appear to be advancing, according to a video published Monday (April 10th).
Denis Pushilin posted these images on Telegram in which he is seen in combat gear in a square covered in debris, which, according to the visible buildings, appears to be Freedom Square, in the center of Bakhmout.
“Here is our Artiomovsk (Russian name for Bakhmout) being liberated by (the Russian paramilitary group) Wagner. The enemy does not spare the city, nor his people, pushing them into a meat grinder”he says in this short undated video.
Ukrainian forces seem to have lost ground in the city center where several Russian war correspondents have visited in recent days and whose reports show a devastated city.
► Pope calls for end to war on Easter
Pope Francis on Sunday condemned the many “stumbling blocks” to peace in the world during his traditional urbi et orbi message for Easter.
As in 2022, his message gave a special place to the war in Ukraine. “Comfort the wounded and those who have lost loved ones to war and ensure that prisoners can return safely to their families”he said, calling on the international community to “put an end to this war and to all the conflicts that are bloodying the world”.
► Two dead in Russian strikes on Zaporizhia
A 50-year-old man and his 11-year-old daughter were killed when Russian airstrikes hit their home in Zaporizhia in southeastern Ukraine, Ukrainian officials said on Sunday. “The enemy carried out a missile attack on Zaporizhia and killed another Ukrainian family”said the head of the country’s emergency services Sergei Kruk on social networks.
According to the mayor of Zaporijjia, two missiles fired by Russia hit a residential area, damaging the windows and roofs of a dozen homes.
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