Ukraine, rebels take steps to honor cease-fire

Both Ukraine’s military and Russian-backed separatists seemed to take the first steps Thursday and Friday toward honoring this month’s cease-fire by withdrawing their heavy weaponry from the front lines of the conflict in the country’s east.

{mosads}The Associated Press reported Friday that the Russian-backed rebels were seen moving rocket launchers back toward the Russian border.

Ukraine had also begun to pull back some of its artillery from the front line of the conflict.

Still, it remains unclear what percentage of heavy weaponry had been removed from eastern Ukraine, a central tenet of a cease-fire agreement reached earlier this month.

Under the agreement, both sides must pull back on their heavy weaponry to create a demilitarized zone around the front. The withdrawal is being watched by hundreds of international observers.

The cease-fire got off to a difficult start, after rebels continued their assault on Ukrainian forces in the town of Debaltseve. They captured that town last weekend.