UKRAINE, East – Debaltseve remains surrounded by rebel forces with officials saying 15 civilians have been killed over the weekend. If captured by pro Russian separatists the town’s railway would link Donetsk to Luhansk.
UKRAINE, East – Rebels are reported to have taken heavy casualties as they try to seize Debaltseve which holds a railway that links Donetsk to Luhansk, and which has been without electricity and water for a week. Twelve people have been killed during shelling as rebels tried to seize any remaining government held territory in east Ukraine. Kiev says Moscow is trying to create a ‘New Russia’ in it’s eastern territories. Peace talks in Minsk that were not attended by the leaders of the self proclaimed independent republics ended with no result on Saturday.
Picture: Ukrainian soldiers outside council building, Debaltseve on Saturday
BELARUS, Minsk – Rebel leaders of self proclaimed independent Donetsk and Luhansk are not present for today’s peace talks. The rebels have continued their offensive in eastern Ukraine targeting key strategic towns of Debaltseve and Vuhleshirsk. Water and electricity have been cut off with rebels surrounding government soldiers in the towns. 15 civilians have been reported killed in Donetsk, with Kiev losing 12 soldiers during fighting in the last 24 hours. Rebels say they have lost 13.
DISTANT ECHOES – Reminders from The Template Website
TEMPLATE ANALYSIS
Last night’s BBC documentary Putin, Russia and The West contained perhaps the most powerful and disturbing footage broadcast on terrestrial television yet.
A boy from a village in Chechnya is dragged out of his home by Russian soldiers, he is heard screaming for his life – ‘hy-aa Allah’ – and the narrator tells us that his body was found much later buried in a Russian base.
The pictures which were shot before the Moscow Theatre siege, and of course much earlier than Beslan, are perhaps also the first hard proof of what Russia’s soldiers were doing as they attempted to reconquer Chechnya for their president, Vladimir Putin.
Russia’s military doctrine when it comes to conquering and reconquering its restive Muslim provinces has been simple – the harder you hit them, the less likely they are to come back again.
UKRAINE, East – Debaltseve links Donetsk to Luhansk. Russian backed rebels in both areas have declared their intention to be ‘self ruled’. The OSCE blamed the rebels for violence in another strategic town – Mariupol – earlier this week.
Rebel leader Alexander Zacharchenko claims to be leader of the newly formed Donetsk People’s Republic.
UKRAINE – Three Ukranian soldiers have been killed during fighting in the east over the past 24 hours. Most of the violence is concentrated in the strategic town of Debaltseve which links rebels in Donestk to Luhansk.
Pictures : Rebels attack Luhansk border, New PM of self proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Alexander Zacharchenko (Source: Tumblr)
Samantha Power, US ambassador, told the Security Council that Russia had offered the olive branch with one hand whilst providing grad missiles and tanks to Ukranian separatists on the other. She said the new plan freed Russia of its obligations under the Minsk agreement. Russia denies this and urged a resumption of the Minsk peace talks.
Flashback: Moment Russian tanks moved into Crimea which is now part of Russia (Source: tumblr)
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