Ukraine and the pro-Russian separatist faction in the east begin to exchange prisoners today, for the first time in two years.

"At the Mayorske checkpoint, the process of releasing prisoners has begun," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced today on Twitter. This is the first time the Ukrainian government and separatist factions in the east have exchanged prisoners since 2017.

The two sides have been preparing for prisoner exchange since this morning, when vehicles appeared near the village of Odradivka, about 10 km from the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic, with many guards wearing military uniforms, carrying machine guns.

Under the plan, Kiev is expected to hand over to the separatists a number of riot police accused of killing protesters during the 2014 uprising. It is not clear how many prisoners were exchanged this time round.

A Ukrainian source revealed the parties were still verifying the list. Meanwhile, Daria Morozova, a spokesman for the self-proclaimed Republic of Donetsk, said that Kiev would pay 87 prisoners, while separatists released 55 people.

The latest prison exchange between Kiev and the separatists was conducted in 2017, with 230 separatist prisoners in exchange for 70 Ukrainians.

The exchange of prisoners took place after the first summit in three years on December 9 between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, with the intermediaries France and Germany. At the meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky agreed on measures to reduce the escalation of tensions between the parties.

The conflict in eastern Ukraine came after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, sparking a wave of secessionist claims in many parts of Ukraine. At least 13,000 people have been killed in conflicts over the past five years.

Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Russia of providing financial and military support to the separatists, but Moscow has denied it.