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.
Media captionUS 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.
Multiple breaches
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.
Russian 'volunteers'
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".
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