Moscow, April 11 Russia and Ukraine exchanged 175 prisoners of war (POWs) each as the 32-hour Easter truce announced by the Kremlin began at 4 pm on Saturday.
President Vladimir Putin declared the 32-hour ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter weekend on Thursday. According to his order, Russian forces are to observe the ceasefire starting 4 pm (local time) on Saturday until the end of Sunday along the almost 1,300 kms long front in eastern Ukraine.
Besides the 175 POWs exchanged by both sides, Ukraine has also released seven Russian civilians who had been taken hostage from the western region of Kursk, Russian ombudswoman Tatiana Maskalkova told Rossia 24 state TV.
The state TV also added that the truce was holding after more than an hour of its beginning.
However, the Russian troops have been ordered to be on standby and ready to repel any "provocation" by the Ukrainian side.
Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter according to the Julian Calendar, which this year falls on April 12. Since 2003, the St Andrew the First-Called Foundation of Russia has been bringing the Holy Flame from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to Moscow every Easter, TASS reported.
It is delivered to the Easter service in the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior, as well as to other churches across the country.