Ukraine and Russia said they had carried out a new exchange of prisoners of war - the first in more than a month - with more than 100 soldiers from both sides exchanged.
The Russian Ministry of Defense highlighted the repatriation of 106 Russian soldiers, who were reportedly "in danger of life" during detention, and who will be transferred to Moscow for medical treatment and psychological assistance.
The head of the administration of the Ukrainian president, Andriy Jermak, announced the return of 100 soldiers to Ukraine.
"We are returning 100 of our people - they are soldiers, sailors, border guards and members of the National Guard," Jermak said on Telegram and added: "Some are seriously injured and sick. We will do everything necessary to ensure that everyone receives the necessary help."
The last prisoner exchange between Kyiv and Moscow took place on March 7, when Ukraine returned 130 of its soldiers and Russia returned 90.
In December 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that in prisoner exchanges since the start of the war, more than 1.300 Ukrainian soldiers had been returned to Kyiv.
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Russia, having gained new experience in the war in Ukraine, intends to reform its air defense, which it will also strengthen in response to Finland's accession to the NATO alliance, said the commander of the Russian Aerospace Forces VKS.
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The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, said that the country needs guarantees that Russia will defend Belarus "as its own territory" in the event of an external attack, the state-run BelTA reported, as reported by Reuters.
The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, met with the Minister of Defense of Russia, Sergei Shoigu, in Minsk, the Belarusian agency Belta reports.
The agency stated that the meeting was not announced, reports Reuters.
The commander of Ukraine's ground forces said the Russians had begun using "scorched earth" tactics in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, destroying buildings and positions with airstrikes and artillery.
The Russian attack on Bakhmut, a small town in the Donetsk region, is at the center of the biggest battle since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
"The enemy has switched to the so-called scorched earth tactic from Syria. It destroys buildings and positions with airstrikes and artillery fire," said General Oleksandr Sirisky.
Ukrainian defense of Bakhmut continues, he added.
"The situation is difficult, but it can be controlled," the Ukrainian military media center quoted him as saying.
Siriskyi said Russian forces were bringing in special forces to step up their attack on the city because members of the Russian mercenary group Wagner were "exhausted", reports Hina.
Reuters could not confirm the credibility of those allegations.
American CNN announced that it had access to 53 documents leaked from the Pentagon, which appear to have been created between mid-February and early March, and which, among other things, state that the United States of America spied on the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
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The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced today that fierce fighting with Russian forces continues around Bakhmut and Avdeyevka.
The Ukrainian General Staff states that Russian forces continue to focus their main efforts on conducting offensive operations in the direction of Liman, Bakhmut, Avdeyevka and Marinka, reports Interfax Ukraine. It is added that over the past day, more than 40 attacks by Russian forces have been repelled.
"In the direction of Bahmut, the enemy continues to conduct offensive operations, trying to take full control of the city. Fierce fighting continues," the statement said.
According to the General Staff of Ukraine, Russian troops continue to establish positions in the Zaporizhzhya and Kherson directions.
Russia is trying to recover from a series of humiliating blows to its intelligence activities abroad after hundreds of Russian spies in Western countries were expelled or arrested, Western media reported.
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War in Ukraine – 410th day.
The Ukrainian air defense could run out of missiles and ammunition in just a few weeks, it was stated in the secret documents of the Pentagon from February, which were leaked to the public, the Guardian reported.
One of the documents dated February 23, which is marked "confidential", details how Ukraine's S-300 air defense system will be completely silenced by May 2, if it continues to be used at the same rate. The authenticity of the Pentagon Papers has not been confirmed.
In a statement from Sunday, the Pentagon said that they were verifying the authenticity of photographed documents that "seem to contain very sensitive material", reports Tanjug.
Ukraine's Buk anti-aircraft system, which the Ukrainian military relies on, along with the S-300, could wear out by mid-April, the New York Times reported, while front-line anti-aircraft units could be "totally reduced" by May 23. .
Russian fighters and bombers are getting an increasing opportunity to attack Ukrainian forces, which could be a challenge for Kiev, the New York newspaper pointed out, citing senior US military officials.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Col. Yuri Inhat did not comment on the leaks, but told the Wall Street Journal that Ukraine faced serious problems finding ammunition for Soviet-era weapons, particularly the S-300 and Buk.
"If we lose the battle in the sky, the consequences for Ukraine could be very dangerous. This is not the time to procrastinate," he said, urging Western allies to speed up the delivery of aid. US officials believe the apparent leak of a large volume of classified Pentagon documents may have come from an American source.
"Now the focus is on that - how could all that have been leaked, because many of the documents were only in the hands of US officials," former senior Pentagon official Michael Mulroy told Reuters.
Officials say that given the scope of the documents, which cover the war in Ukraine, then China, the Middle East and Africa, there are hints that the documents were leaked from the hands of an American, not an ally.
US officials said the investigation into how the data got to the public did not rule out the possibility that pro-Russian elements were behind it all.
This data security breach is considered one of the most dangerous since 2013, when more than 700.000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables appeared on the WikiLeaks website.
The Russian Embassy in Washington and the Kremlin have not yet responded to a request for comment.
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