A pro-Russian separatist plays with a ball at a checkpoint near the eastern Ukrainian city of Uglegorsk. (Agence France-Presse)
Ukraine's military and pro-Russian separatists on Saturday began exchanging scores of prisoners each had taken, AFP journalists present in the frontline town where the swap was occurring reported.
The rebels said they were trading 139 Ukrainian soldiers for 52 of their fighters held by the other side.
The exchange was being carried out in the frontline town of Zholobok, 40 kilometres northwest of the rebel stronghold of Lugansk, as part of a UN-backed truce that has otherwise been violated many times since coming into effect a week ago.
Some of the soldiers who were held by the rebels were wounded and a few walked on crutches. The insurgents said their prisoners included some who had been seized in the rebel offensive on the key town of Debaltseve this week.
Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko tweeted confirmation of the exchange, saying "140 Ukrainian heroes will be on their way home from captivity".
The rebels had initially announced that only 40 prisoners were being exchanged by each camp, but later more were added to the group they delivered to the enemy side.