Rebels in eastern Ukraine have agreed to begin to pull back heavy weapons from the frontline, a Russian general involved in implementing a truce says.Gen Alexander Lentsov said the pro-Russian rebels had signed the orders to complete the withdrawal over the next two weeks, starting from Sunday.It is not clear whether the move will be reciprocated by Ukraine.This comes as Ukraine and the separatists exchanged 191 prisoners, a key part of the Minsk ceasefire deal.It was the first step carried out successfully under the terms of the 12 February agreements signed in the Belarusian capital, brokered by France and Germany.The exchange came as US Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington was considering “serious sanctions” against Russia following breaches of the truce, and that a decision would be made in the coming days.US Secretary of State John Kerry: “We’re not going to play this game”But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said sanctions would not help solve Ukraine’s crisis.Meanwhile, thousands of Ukrainians – as well as a number of European leaders – are expected to take part in a “dignity march” in the capital Kiev on Sunday, remembering the victims of sniper fire during protests last February.Nearly 5,700 people have died since the fighting erupted last April Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, according to the UN.This followed Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s southern Crimea peninsula.Gen Lentsov, a Russian member of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-operation (JCCC), said: “We have designated 22 February as “D-Day” as determined by the agreement from all sides. So from tomorrow [Sunday] we will within the period of 14 days observe the agreement on the pullback of heavy weapons.”He said the leaders of the self-proclaimed rebel Luhansk and Donetsk people’s republics had already signed the orders.”We hope for Kiev’s participation and help first and foremost,” the general added.
Petro Kanonik, a Ukrainian member of the JCCC, said Kiev had been informed of the rebel move, according to Ukraine’s Ukrainska Pravda website.The pullout process had been due to start last Tuesday and completed by 3 March, but Gen Lentsov said it would now take until 7 March.Ukraine and rebel forces accuse each other of multiple breaches of the truce, and there were reports of violations around Donetsk and the port city of Mariupol on Saturday.The rebels took the strategic transport hub of Debaltseve during the week in spite of the ceasefire, arguing the truce did not apply to the flashpoint town, forcing government troops to retreat.The offensive was widely condemned by Ukraine and the West.On Saturday, Ukraine’s military and the rebels completed the first exchange of prisoners after the ceasefire. A total of 139 Ukrainian soldiers were freed and 52 rebels.Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko tweeted the news of the prisoner exchange, which took place near the front line town of Zholobok.
Some of the government soldiers were wounded and walking on crutches.Mr Poroshenko originally said 140 soldiers would be freed, and Ukrainian officials said one more soldier would be released in the coming days.The BBC’s David Stern in Kiev says the exchange was the first positive news since the Minsk agreements, after a planned ceasefire failed to take hold.However, the agreements called for a full exchange, and each side reportedly still holds a number of prisoners. It is not clear how many people are still in captivity.The Ukrainian government, Western leaders and Nato say there is clear evidence that Russia is helping the rebels in eastern Ukraine with heavy weapons and soldiers. Independent experts echo that accusation. Moscow denies it, insisting that any Russians serving with the rebels are “volunteers”.
