Russian Strikes Kill, Prisoner Swaps Glimmer Hope

0:00Russian strikes hammered civilian spots across Ukraine, killing two people and wounding at least three others. One hit in Sinanikov, took a life and hurt a woman, plus a 12-year-old boy. In Karkiv, a blast sparked a fire in apartments, injuring a 61-year-old woman. Chernaheiv saw another fatality from a ballistic missile, with a 17-year-old girl hurt too. Meanwhile, both sides are pushing prisoner swaps ahead of Orthodox Easter on April 12. These exchanges stand out as rare bright spots from stalled U.S. mediated talks that have dragged on for months with zero breakthroughs on ending the invasion. Zelensky floated a ceasefire just for the Easter stretch, but Moscow shot it down, insisting on a full-lasting peace instead of a short break. Last year, Putin called a 30-hour truce himself, only for each side to blame the other when it fell apart. Now officials report heavy prep work for these swaps. Zelensky's top general hopes for a major one this time, while Russia's human rights rip confirms deals are in motion.

1:01Air defenses knocked down 147 of 172 drones fired overnight, including hits Nero-Desa. With violence unrelenting, these prisoner moves keep a thin threat of humanity alive in the grind. This has been Canada News Today, powered by AI.