Street-to-street fighting broke out for the first time inside a flashpoint
town in east Ukraine on Tuesday, officials and pro-Russian rebels said, dealing
a harsh blow to a fragile ceasefire just three days old.
The combat in Debaltseve, a strategic railway hub located between the
separatist-held cities of Donetsk
and Lugansk, was described as “intense”.
The town is largely encircled by heavily armed rebels who previously had
been exchanging artillery fire with up to 8,000 government troops holed up
inside.
Ilya Kiva, a deputy regional police chief inside the town who was reached by
telephone, said the rebels had entered Debaltseve and were using small arms,
mortars and rocket-propelled grenades.
“There are …read more
Source: The Jakarta Post
