From our newsroom:
The Ukrainian military and pro-Russian rebels have agreed to pull back heavy weapons from the front line in eastern Ukraine in accordance with the recent cease-fire agreement.
Petro Kanonik, commander of Ukrainian officers at the Common Coordination Control Center for the Cease-Fire, says the two-week process of arms removal will begin today.
In the rebel-held Donetsk, Russian media quote senior separatist commander Eduard Basurin as saying that rebels have signed the orders to complete the withdrawal over the next two weeks, starting today.
Under the terms of the truce, mediated by Germany and France and (at least partially) put into effect on February 15, the withdrawal of the weapons was meant to have started on February 17 and be completed by March 3.
But the pullback was delayed due to fighting in the strategic town of Debaltseve, which government troops pulled out of on February 18. Pro-Russian forces quickly moved in to seize the town, prompting accusations by the West that Moscow and its rebel proxies were engaging in "an absolutely brazen and cynical process."
The announcements come as Ukraine and the separatists exchanged a total of 191 prisoners late on February 21.
Based on reporting by Interfax, AFP, dpa, and BBC
Photographer Misha Friedman travelled to Ukraine to visit members of both communities. In this, the first of two stories, he looks at the Jews who have fled to Dnipropetrovsk, roughly 150 miles (240 km) from the rebel-held city of Donetsk.
Another useful reminder regarding the propagation of images that use prisoners of war:
Barring any major developments, that concludes the live blogging for today.
More on Kerry's meeting in London today:
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says President Barack Obama will evaluate his options on dealing with events in eastern Ukraine “in the next few days” – including possible further sanctions against Russia and the option of arming Ukrainian troops to fight Russian-backed separatists.
Speaking after talks in London on February 21 with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Kerry said U.S. officials have had “serious discussions” with European allies and additional steps will be taken in response to violations of a cease-fire deal signed in Minsk last week.
Kerry said Russia had engaged in “an absolutely brazen and cynical process” during the past days, as separatists seized the strategic eastern Ukrainian town of Debaltseve despite the cease-fire deal.
Kyiv said on February 21 that separatists were building up forces and weapons in southeastern Ukraine and government forces were bracing for a possible Russian-backed attack on Mariupol.
More on the build-up around Mariupol:
Kyiv said on February 21 pro-Russian separatists are building up forces and weapons in southeastern Ukraine near the coast of the Sea of Azov, and that Ukrainian government forces are bracing for the possibility of a Russian-backed attack on the port city of Mariupol.
Ukraine’s military issued the statement on February 21, a day after it accused Russia of sending more tanks, troops, and heavy artillery toward the rebel-held town of Novoazovsk just to the east of government-controlled Mariupol.
The allegations come after Russian-backed separatists stormed into the eastern Ukrainian town of Debaltseve, seizing the strategic railway hub there from government forces despite a cease-fire deal signed in Minsk days earlier.
Ukrainian officials say that if the separatists attack Mariupol in the days ahead, it will mark the end of the European-brokered cease-fire deal.