More prisoner swaps expected between Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels

Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels in the east are expected to exchange more prisoners; a day after the two parties swapped hundreds of captives.  

Ukrainian officials say they are hoping that four soldiers will be freed, but did not confirm the number of rebels due to be released.

Ukraine said on Friday that 146 of its soldiers had been freed for 222 rebels.

Ukrainian spokesman Vyacheslav Tsegolko wrote on Facebook that the soldiers "would be able to celebrate New Year and Christmas with their families".

Ukraine celebrates Christmas on 7 January.

Friday's prisoner exchange - the largest since the conflict began in April - took place near Avdiyivka, about 35km north of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian and Russian media depicted rows of men in civilian clothes standing on a road, supervised by armed men.

"They only just told us that this would happen," freed Ukrainian soldier Artem Syurik told the Associated Press news agency. "I am looking forward to seeing my parents and wife. They do not know I am coming."

"I want to eat fried potatoes and talk to my relatives,” freed rebel fighter Denis Balbukov said. "I will go back to fighting. It was all right once we were moved to the detention centre, but to begin with, they really tormented and roughed us up."

Elsewhere, Ukraine froze vital bus and rail links with Crimea, the southern peninsula annexed by Russia in March.

Crimea has no land corridor to Russia and therefore relies on a ferry in the Azov Sea and flights from Russia.

It is heavily dependent on Ukraine's power supplies and has witnessed a number of blackouts in recent days. Kiev says it has to limit supplies, because Ukraine itself is experiencing power shortages.

The world's two largest credit and debit card companies, Visa and Mastercard, said on Friday that they could no longer support bank cards being used in Crimea, following fresh US sanctions imposed this month.

Russian media reported that Crimean people on Friday were unable to withdraw cash or pay for goods bought in local supermarkets.

Inconclusive peace talks between the two parties were held this week in Minsk, Belarus, on ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has claimed 4,700 lives.

Fighting has calmed down in recent months but over 1,300 people have died since a truce was announced in September.

Ukraine accuses Russia of actively supporting the militants with Russian soldiers and heavy artillery. Russia denies these allegations but says that its regular forces are fighting in eastern Ukraine as volunteers.