Ukraine and rebels exchange prisoners

The Ukrainian government and separatist insurgents have agreed to exchange prisoners on Wednesday.

Separatist leader Aleksander Zachartsjenko from Donetsk said that the Ukrainian authorities released 306 prisoners. The rebels let 74 people go. The Minsk agreement from 2015 already provided for such a prisoner exchange, but so far only prisoners have been exchanged on a small scale.

Ukrainian government forces have been fighting against separatist insurgents in the east of the country since 2014. Over ten thousand people have died as a result of the conflict. Kiev accuses Moscow of sending heavy weapons and troops to the region. The Russians deny that.