Russia and Ukraine carried out a major prisoner swap on April 10 after the commander of the Ukrainian armed forces in the east accused Russia of using "scorched earth tactics" in the area, turning the town of Avdiyivka into a "total ruin."
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Both sides reported the prisoner exchange, saying 106 Russians and 100 Ukrainians were freed. The Russian Defense Ministry added that the exchange took place after negotiations.
Andriy Yermak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said that the released Ukrainians include defenders of Mariupol city and its Azovstal steel plant, the scene of a long siege that ended in May 2022 and left Mariupol in ruins.
"Some people have been seriously injured and have illnesses,” Yermak said on Telegram. “We will do everything necessary so that each of them receives all the necessary help."
Ukrainian General Oleksandr Syrskiy earlier on April 10 accused Russia of using the same "scorched earth tactics" it used in its military operations in support of the Syrian government against rebels in the northwest of the country.
"Buildings and positions are being destroyed with air strikes and artillery fire. The situation is difficult but controllable," he was quoted as saying by Ukraine's Media Military Center.
He said Ukrainian troops were "heroically" withstanding the Russians' offensive in Bakhmut, adding that they had managed to wear down the units of the Russian private Wagner militia.
The Russian-installed leader of Ukraine's Donetsk region, Denis Pushilin, published a video on April 10 purportedly showing him on a visit to Bakhmut. He was seen decorating Wagner fighters and claiming that Russian forces control more than 75 percent of the city. The authenticity of video could not be independently confirmed.
"I can say with absolute certainty that more than 75 percent of the city is under the control of our units," Pushilin told state-run Rossia-24 TV channel after his visit, though he cautioned it was too early to talk about Bakhmut's fall.
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Ukraine’s army reported Russian attacks throughout the front. The General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces said 58 enemy attacks were repelled over the 24-hour period ending early on April 10, adding in a statement that Russia is still focused on the cities and towns of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka in the Donetsk region.
The British Defense Ministry said in its daily intelligence update on April 10 that Russia continues to prioritize and expand its resources in the Donetsk region, including the Maryinka and Adviyivka areas, for "minimal gains.”
Pavlo Kyrylenko, Donetsk's regional governor, said around 1,800 people remain in Avdiyivka, and that they all risk their lives every day.
"The Russians have turned Avdiyivka into a total ruin," Kyrylenko said on April 10 after an air strike that destroyed a multistory building.
The Ukrainian military said on April 10 that it destroyed a Russian Mi-24 helicopter near Adviyivka. The commander of the brigade responsible for shooting down the helicopter said in a statement that attacks in the direction of Adviyivka continue but that the Russians are suffering "heavy losses in manpower and destroyed equipment."