Pro-Russian rebels free 1,200 prisoners

• Russia to respond asymmetrically to new sanctions: Medvedev
• Ukraine truce largely holding, says OSCE

Ukraine: Pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine have released 1,200 prisoners, President Petro Poroshenko has said.
The releases followed Friday's ceasefire deal, he said, which included an exchange of prisoners. Poroshenko said that "over the past four days, we have managed to secure the release of 1,200 of our captives", according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

The EU said that new sanctions against Russia should be adopted shortly and take effect on Tuesday. But an EU spokeswoman said the sanctions would be "reversible", depending on the situation in Ukraine.Meanwhile, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that Moscow will respond asymmetrically to new sanctions over the Ukraine crisis, possibly targeting flights over Russia, if its Western partners press on with "the temptation to use force in international relations.

Blaming the West for damaging the Russian economy by triggering several rounds of "stupid" sanctions, Medvedev underlined Moscow's belief it is occupying the higher ground in the worst confrontation with the West since the Cold War.

Russia may have been too patient in responding to sanctions imposed so far by the United States and European Union over Moscow's role in Ukraine, he told the Russian daily Vedomosti. That mistake would not be repeated.

The chairman of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said that the ceasefire is largely holding in eastern Ukraine. "Overall the ceasefire held even though it is still shaky," Thomas Greminger said, adding that the next few days would be crucial.