The government-held town of Debaltseve, a key railway junction, has been the epicenter of recent battles between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian government troops.
Separatist fighters have made advances, taking Vuhlehirsk, a rural settlement 6 miles to the west, as they sought to capture Debaltseve, which links by rail their two main strongholds, the eastern cities of Donetsk and Luhansk.
A three-story building on the main square was completely burned out, a gaping hole in its facade.
Rebel-organized buses had to stop along the road for several minutes after coming across huge concrete blocks placed by Ukrainian forces to halt advancing tanks.
Alexander Klimenko, deputy …read more
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
