A major exchange of war prisoners is getting underway in eastern Ukraine, with around 370 expected to be released.

The pro-Russia rebels are set to release 150 Ukrainian prisoners in exchange for the Ukrainian government releasing 222 captives.

Russia's Interfax and RIA Novosti news agencies are reporting that the exchange is taking place on neutral ground between the sectors controlled by the insurgents and the government forces.

The exchange had been tentatively planned for earlier this week, and the failure to conduct it pushed back another round of Ukraine peace talks in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, which was set for Friday but was adjourned indefinitely.