MAIN HEADLINES

• Russia's Wagner group, sent at least 100 prisoners of war back to Ukraine to mark Orthodox Easter, according to a video posted by the group's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin. READ MORE BELOW

• Ukrainian and Russian armed forces are fighting extraordinarily bloody battles in the eastern city of Bakhmut, but pro-Kyiv forces are still holding on, Ukraine's military said.

• Unilateral action on trade by European Union member states is unacceptable, a European Commission spokesperson said, after Poland and Hungary announced bans on grain and other food imports from Ukraine to protect the local agricultural sector. READ MORE BELOW

• Russia's defense ministry said that Wagner units captured two more city blocks in the northwest and southeastern parts of Bakhmut.

• Ukrainian pianist Roman Lopatynskyi rehearsed in the dark and played concerts by candlelight as air raid sirens sounded across Kyiv. The 29-year-old is participating in the International Competition for Young Pianists, which is being held outside Ukraine for the first time due to the conflict.

IN DETAIL

Prisoner exchange conducted to mark Orthodox Easter

Ukrainian prisoners of war have been released and returned home in a "great Easter exchange", a senior Ukrainian presidential official said on the day of Orthodox Easter.

Ukrainian and Russian forces have held regular prisoner exchanges during the conflict but this was the second largest on record.

"We are bringing back 130 of our people. It (the exchange) has been taking place in several stages over the past few days," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on the Telegram messaging app.

It was not clear how many Russians were sent back the other way.

Yermak said those returning home included military, border guards, national guard members, sailors and employees of the state border guard.

EU hits out at Poland and Hungary over grain ban

Unilateral action on trade by European Union member states is unacceptable, a European Commission spokesperson said on Sunday, after Poland and Hungary announced bans on grain and other food imports from Ukraine to protect the local agricultural sector.

Some Black Sea ports have been blocked since the conflict broke out a year ago. Large quantities of Ukrainian grain, which is cheaper than that produced in the European Union, ended up staying in Central European states due to logistical bottlenecks, hitting prices and sales for local farmers.

The issue has created a political problem for Poland's ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party in an election year as it has angered people in rural areas where support for PiS is usually high.

"We are aware of Poland and Hungary's announcements regarding the ban on imports of grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "In this context, it is important to underline that trade policy is of EU exclusive competence and, therefore, unilateral actions are not acceptable."

The Polish ban, which came into effect on Saturday evening, will also apply to the transit of these products through the country, the development and technology minister said on Sunday.