Ukrainian authorities and Russia-backed separatists in the war-torn east of the country began a prisoner exchange on Sunday in a frontline operation that has stirred controversy.
![Ukraine rivals begin prisoner exchange in controversial swap](http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/afp.com/5b24de1b771521118781dc22906b176c14f82a41.jpg)
The exchange came after
Russian President
Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky held their first face-to-face talks in
Paris on December 9 and agreed measures to de-escalate Europe's only active war.
As part of the swap, Kiev was expected to hand over to separatists several riot policemen suspected of killing
protesters during a pro-Western uprising in 2014, in a move that sparked public anger.