Kyiv and rebels swap prisoners

KYIV – The Ukrainian government and pro-Russian rebels have exchanged prisoners in the east of the country as part of the shaky international ceasefire reached nearly two weeks ago. A total of 139 Ukrainian troops and 52 rebels were exchanged late on February 21 some 20 kilometers west of Luhansk, according to both sides. The exchange is a key part of the deal agreed upon by the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine on February 12. Earlier, the Ukrainian prisoners were transported to a location near Zholobok, where they were made to line up and listen to a speech by a rebel representative, who ordered the men to leave the territory claimed by the separatist movements in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. The soldiers – some of them using crutches, at least one carried on a stretcher – then walked for around three kilometers to a rendezvous point. Ukraine’s military on February 21 reported attacks over the past day that killed a serviceman and wounded 40, with mortars reaching the fringes of Mariupol, among other places. According to Reuters, some rebels had formed a base in a complex of houses in Bezimenne further up the coast from Mariupol. Reuters reporters said there were dozens of well-armed fighters milling around, some of whom looked like Russian military special forces wearing Russian army patches and insignia on their uniforms. (RFE/RL, with reporting by the Associated Press and Reuters)