DEBALTSEVE, Ukraine—Ukrainian troops battled Monday to repel waves of Russia-backed separatists trying to surround a strategic railway hub in eastern Ukraine, while in an ominous sign for peace efforts, the rebels announced plans to boost the size of their armed forces.
Elsewhere, the rebel stronghold of Donetsk came under heavy, sustained shelling once again. City authorities said Monday 15 civilians had been killed over the weekend in the fighting, while Ukraine authorities said five soldiers had been killed and 29 wounded overall in the east in the past day alone.
Since the unrest in eastern Ukraine surged anew in early January, the …read more
Source: The Epoch Times
