At first glance, the pro-Russian rebels’ takeover of the railroad hub of Debaltseve this week, and reports of some shelling elsewhere, seem like a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement reached last week in Minsk. Yet Ukrainian troops’ orderly retreat from Debaltseve was the best possible outcome — and not just for the troops themselves. It’s a clear sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin, rather than sending his proxies or his soldiers to advance any further into Ukraine, prefers to freeze the conflict.
Only two days ago, observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation and groups of volunteers couldn’t even …read more
Source: National Post
