Ukraine rebels claim heavy weapons pullout begun

The pro-independence insurgents in eastern Ukraine Tuesday said they have begun a "full-scale" pullout of heavy weapons from the front line of their fight with government troops, Xinhua news agency reported.

They said the move was in accordance with a ceasefire deal signed Feb 12.

"As of 9 a.m., our units continued withdrawal of heavy weapons from the line of contact," Eduard Basurin, a senior insurgent commander, was quoted by the rebel-run Novorossia news agency as saying.

The insurgent forces have withdrawn about 20 units of heavy weaponry from the front line as of Tuesday morning, Basurin said, adding that an additional 96 howitzers and artillery cannons will be moved from the fighting area till the end of the day.

However, the press service of the government's military operation in the east has not confirmed the pullback of weapons by the insurgent forces, calling the claims about the withdrawal "empty phrases".

In a statement on its Facebook page, the press service said the insurgents "use the ceasefire regime to strengthen their squads and accumulate ammunition".

The pullback of heavy weapons is part of the latest ceasefire deal agreed by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande Feb 12 after 16 hours of talks in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.

The deal, aimed at ending the 12-month-old conflict that has killed over 5,700 people, includes a truce from Feb 15, clear time lines for elections in eastern Ukraine, border control and prisoner exchange.