Facts about Russia-Ukraine conflict: Ukraine, Russia conduct fourth prisoner exchange

BEIJING, April 15 (Xinhua) -- The Russia-Ukraine conflict continued as Russia on Thursday said the flagship of its Black Sea Fleet, the Moskava missile cruiser, sank in stormy seas. The following are the latest developments:

Ukraine and Russia conducted their fourth prisoner swap since the start of the conflict, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Thursday.

Thirty Ukrainian prisoners-of-war, including 8 civilians, held by the Russian military were released, Vereshchuk said on Telegram, without specifying the number of captives freed by the Ukrainian side.

Out of the 22 Ukrainian troops released under the swap, there were five officers, she said.

Ukraine and Russia conducted their first prisoner exchange on March 24.

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Russia on Thursday said the Moskva missile cruiser, sank in stormy seas when it was being tugged to a port after having been damaged in a blast.

Due to the damage to the hull caused by explosions of ammunition onboard, Moskva lost stability, the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that its crew members had been evacuated to other ships.

Moskva was "seriously damaged" by the detonation of ammunition onboard as a result of a fire, but it remained afloat after there were no open flames, the ministry said earlier in the day.

Maksim Marchenko, the governor of Ukraine's Odessa region, said on Telegram on Wednesday that Ukraine's border guards on Snake Island used Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles to deliver "very serious damage" to cruiser Moskva.

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The Ukrainian Armed Forces shelled the village of Klimovo near the border in Russia's Bryansk region on Thursday, regional governor Alexander Bogomaz said.

"Two residential buildings were damaged and there are victims among the residents," Bogomaz said on Telegram.

Authorities are working on the scene and people are now receiving all the necessary medical care, he added.

Seven people, including a pregnant woman and a child, were injured and two adults of them are in serious condition, TASS news agency reported, citing a local hospital source.

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Thursday he had discussed new military aid for Ukraine with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a phone conversation.

"In our new call, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and I discussed the next military aid package for Ukraine," Kuleba tweeted.

During the talks, the two sides also coordinated their positions on further sanctions which will be imposed on Russia over its conflict with Ukraine, Kuleba said.