Terrified Debaltsevo residents leave shelters after Kiev troops’ pullout
RT,
21
Febraury, 2015
As
Kiev and anti-government forces in eastern Ukraine prepare for heavy
artillery withdrawal and prisoner exchanges, the residents of
Debaltsevo, the hotspot of the recent fighting, have plucked up
courage to walk the streets of their town again.
After
the Ukrainian military withdrew their forces “en mass” from
war-torn Debaltsevo on Wednesday, the locals, terrified by weeks of
shelling, began to crawl out of their bomb shelters, scavenging for
what thousands of Kiev troops left behind – personal belongings,
food or warm clothes.
Residents
weren’t prepared to talk to journalists for a while, but when they
did it was with long pent-up bitterness.
“We
would like to thank Ukraine that it made us homeless, destroyed our
homes,” local women tell RT at the abandoned Ukrainian army’s
military camp. “We’ve been living in basements since the summer.”
A
hospital in Debaltsevo, that served as a barracks for the Ukrainian
troops and was also damaged in the street battles, became a shelter
for many civilians, who had no desire to leave Donbass in search for
a safer life.
“How
can a person, who worked all her life, end up in a basement like a
rat? I don’t understand how I could be here,” says a woman, who
had been surviving in the hospital’s basement.
On
Saturday, Kiev and anti-government forces in eastern Ukraine are
planning to exchange prisoners in a continuing effort to implement
the peace deal.
Over
a month, the clashes around Debaltsevo claimed the lives of at least
179 Ukrainian soldiers, Yuriy Biryukov, presidential adviser and
assistant to the defense minister, said on Friday. Hostages were made
of 110 soldiers and 81 are missing, he wrote on his Facebook page.
According to self-defense forces estimates, the Ukrainian soldiers’
death toll is nearly 3,000 people.
Debaltsevo
is a strategic railway hub, connecting the breakaway regions of
Lugansk and Donetsk. It remained a battlefield where around 3,000
Ukrainian soldiers were surrounded by Donetsk People’s Republic
forces, as the ceasefire failed to put an end to the ongoing
violence.
The
leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany agreed the peace deal
in Minsk on February 12. To de-escalate the lingering conflict, that
has taken at least 5,600 lives, according to the latest UN estimates,
it introduced measures such as the ceasefire that started a week ago,
a pullout of heavy weapons, and comprehensive constitutional reform
by the end of the year.
A
75 year old woman picks up the scattered macaroni left after
Ukrainian army in Debaltsevo. The whole war represented in one photo.
OSCE
mission gets access to Debaltsevo in E. Ukraine, Kiev and militia
swap prisoners
RT,
21
Febraury, 2015
The
OSCE monitoring mission in eastern Ukraine has finally arrived in the
town of Debaltsevo, after a local militia provided guarantees of
security. At the same time Kiev and rebels in Lugansk gave
independent reports of prisoner swaps.
Representatives
of the OSCE special monitoring mission (SMM) in eastern Ukraine
arrived at the town of Debaltsevo in the Donetsk region, the
mission's spokesperson Michael Bociurkiw announced on Saturday.
Access to the area, which had reportedly been a sticking point at the
Minsk peace talks, and which continued to be a scene of fighting
between the anti-government forces and Kiev troops, was possible with
the militia's guarantees of security, Bociurkiw told Ukraine's 112 tv
channel.
11:03 PM - 21 Feb 2015 Ukraine, Ukraina
The
observers arrived at Debaltsevo along with the International
Committee of the Red Cross and several trucks, bringing food and
medical supplies to the region, the OSCE spokesperson said, adding
that its observers are working on a full report on the situation in
the region. He also called for all sides to observe the cease fire
agreement in all territories in eastern Ukraine and provide access
for the mission to all its regions.
Kiev
forces allegedly obstructed the OSCE mission's freedom of movement,
after keeping the observers at one of the check points some 80
kilometers from Donetsk, RIA Novosti reported. Citing the mission's
representatives, it was said that while at one of the check points
the observers had to wait for a while to be let through, at the other
security point they were denied entry by Ukrainian servicemen, due to
lack of travel documents.
6:18 AM - 22 Feb 2015 Ukraine, Ukraina
On
Saturday, the OSCE SMM in Ukraine also asked both sides of the
conflict to provide details of their heavy weapons in order to verify
their withdrawal from the area. In its statement, the SMM asked for
details of "inventories of their heavy weapons; the routes along
which they intend to withdraw them; or where they will be
concentrated."
In
line with the truce, which was agreed by several world leaders in
Minsk last week, the self-proclaimed republics in Ukraine and
military officials from Kiev conducted a prisoner of war exchange on
Saturday. At least 35 prisoners from each side of the conflict were
freed on neutral territory near Lugansk, the self-proclaimed Donetsk
people's republic spokesperson told Ria Novosti. The Lugansk militia
also reportedly planned to conduct an exchange with the government.
Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko announced the release of over a
hundred of Ukrainian soldiers on his Twitter.
Humanitarian
aid from Russia was also delivered to the town of Debaltsevo on
Saturday, Interfax reported, citing Russia's Foreign Ministry
official. Supplies of food, medicine and everyday necessities were
delivered to the region with the help of Russia's emergency services
RT,
21
Febraury, 2015
As
Kiev and anti-government forces in eastern Ukraine prepare for heavy
artillery withdrawal and prisoner exchanges, the residents of
Debaltsevo, the hotspot of the recent fighting, have plucked up
courage to walk the streets of their town again.
After
the Ukrainian military withdrew their forces “en mass” from
war-torn Debaltsevo on Wednesday, the locals, terrified by weeks of
shelling, began to crawl out of their bomb shelters, scavenging for
what thousands of Kiev troops left behind – personal belongings,
food or warm clothes.
Residents
weren’t prepared to talk to journalists for a while, but when they
did it was with long pent-up bitterness.
“We
would like to thank Ukraine that it made us homeless, destroyed our
homes,” local women tell RT at the abandoned Ukrainian army’s
military camp. “We’ve been living in basements since the summer.”
A
hospital in Debaltsevo, that served as a barracks for the Ukrainian
troops and was also damaged in the street battles, became a shelter
for many civilians, who had no desire to leave Donbass in search for
a safer life.
“How
can a person, who worked all her life, end up in a basement like a
rat? I don’t understand how I could be here,” says a woman, who
had been surviving in the hospital’s basement.
On
Saturday, Kiev and anti-government forces in eastern Ukraine are
planning to exchange prisoners in a continuing effort to implement
the peace deal.
Over
a month, the clashes around Debaltsevo claimed the lives of at least
179 Ukrainian soldiers, Yuriy Biryukov, presidential adviser and
assistant to the defense minister, said on Friday. Hostages were made
of 110 soldiers and 81 are missing, he wrote on his Facebook page.
According to self-defense forces estimates, the Ukrainian soldiers’
death toll is nearly 3,000 people.
Debaltsevo
is a strategic railway hub, connecting the breakaway regions of
Lugansk and Donetsk. It remained a battlefield where around 3,000
Ukrainian soldiers were surrounded by Donetsk People’s Republic
forces, as the ceasefire failed to put an end to the ongoing
violence.
The
leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany agreed the peace deal
in Minsk on February 12. To de-escalate the lingering conflict, that
has taken at least 5,600 lives, according to the latest UN estimates,
it introduced measures such as the ceasefire that started a week ago,
a pullout of heavy weapons, and comprehensive constitutional reform
by the end of the year.
A
75 year old woman picks up the scattered macaroni left after
Ukrainian army in Debaltsevo. The whole war represented in one photo.
11:03 PM - 21 Feb 2015 Ukraine, Ukraina
6:18 AM - 22 Feb 2015 Ukraine, Ukraina
Kiev and the Republic exchanged two hundred prisoners, one soldier of ATO refused to return to Ukraine
МОЛНИЯ:
Киев и республики обменялись двумя
сотнями пленных, 1 боец АТО отказался
возвращаться на Украину
21 February, 2015
Ukrainian
journalist Roman Hnatiuk reported the details of the exchange of
prisoners, which took place on March 21.
"A
long day. We are retruning wth the exchange of prisoners.
Held
"in the fields" for the village Frunze Lugansk region.
According
to the results: DPR gave 37 (1 refused); from Ukraine received 36.
LPR gave up 103 from Ukraine, received 16 people. "
-----
Украинский
журналист Роман Гнатюк сообщил подробности
обмена пленными, который состоялся 21
марта.
«Длинный
день. Возвращаемся с обмена пленными.
Проходил
„в полях” за поселком Фрунзе Луганской
обл.
По
итогам: ДНР 37 отдала (1 отказался), от
Украины получили 36. ЛНР отдала 103, от
Украины получили 16 человек».
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