DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — The holiday market in the central square of Donetsk, the principal city of rebel-held eastern Ukraine, has all the trappings of a celebratory time — shiny ornaments, colorful toys and a cartoon-faced kiddie train on a meandering track.
The Ukrainian government has halted payment of pensions and social stipends to the rebel-held areas and cut off business contacts.
The fighting began after separatists in the primarily Russian-speaking Donetsk and Luhansk regions seized government buildings, saying they wanted no part of the new government formed after Russia-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych fled in the face of mass protests in the …read more
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
