Prisoner swap between Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels part of effort to restart peace talks
Exchange between military and rebels unfolds as the sides held talks on Skype
Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels were on Saturday set to complete a swap of hundreds of prisoners as part of a new push for peace that came despite Kiev's decision to cut off key transport links to breakaway Crimea.
The exchange began on Friday on a dark and isolated stretch of a road north of the devastated eastern rebel stronghold of Donetsk, and unfolded as negotiators from both sides held talks on Skype at reviving stalled negotiations. The swap involves a total of 222 guerrillas and 145 Ukrainian troops. A final five were due to be handed to Ukraine yesterday from the neighbouring separatist province of Lugansk, according to a rebel spokeswoman.
Talks mediated by European and Russian envoys in the Belarussian capital, Minsk, on Wednesday had been supposed to pave the way for a final round on Friday and the signing of a comprehensive peace accord.
But Wednesday's acrimonious session broke up after five hours, with a deal reached on only the least contentious of the four agenda points: the prisoner swap. And Ukraine's suspension on Friday of all bus and rail services to Crimea - a decision made citing security concerns that effectively severed the peninsula of 2.3 million from the mainland - added to the hostile tenor of the negotiations.
The video conferences, set to continue yesterday, have so far failed to produce a new date for direct talks.