No let-up in East Ukraine fighting
February 7, 2015
Several civilians and government soldiers have been killed in recent fighting in eastern Ukraine, government and pro-Russian rebel officials said on Saturday.
Officials from both sides said four civilians had been killed by shelling across government-held territory in the past 24 hours, while Ukraine's military said five soldiers had been killed and 26 wounded. One civilian was also reported to have been killed in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk.
Rebels resumed missile fire at the key railway town of Debaltseve on Saturday morning, a regional police chief said, following a brief truce the day before allowed hundreds of civilians to flee.
Ukraine's military had previously said that the ceasefire could be extended into Saturday. Emergency rescue services said 753 people, including 81 children, were evacuated from Debaltseve and surrounding towns under the truce.
Most of those leaving the city chose to travel in buses sent by the government, with just 40 opting to head to the rebel side.
Debaltseve has been at the center of fierce fighting over the past week as the rebels try to surround government troops that still control the strategic town.
Fresh rebel offensives?
Military officials said on Saturday that the separatist rebels now appear to be preparing for new offensives on Debaltseve and the coastal city of Mariupol. Amnesty International estimated earlier this week that only some 7,000 of the town's original population of 25,000 have remained in their homes.
World leaders have been meeting at a security conference in Munich to try and find ways out of the crisis. On Friday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande traveled to Moscow to propose a new peace initiative to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a last-ditch effort to find a resolution.
Kyiv and many Western countries accuse Russia of supporting the rebels with military and other aid, something Moscow denies.
Some 5,400 people have died in fighting in eastern Ukraine since the conflict erupted in April, according the United Nations.
tj/rc (AFP, AP, Reuters)