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February 19, 2015

Rebels in Control of Debaltseve After Heavy Losses Force Ukrainian Retreat 
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Pro-Russian rebels are now fully in control of the town of Debaltseve
following a pullout by Ukrainian troops. Heavy clashes continued there
over the past several days despite the ceasefire agreement that went
into effect on Sunday. The Ukrainian military finally withdrew after
suffering heavy casualties. The rebels claimed the ceasefire never
applied to the town. In Washington, State Department spokesperson Jen
Psaki said that with the exception of the Debaltseve clashes, the
ceasefire appears to have held in most other areas.

Jen Psaki: "Reports indicate that separatists publicly declared that
they refused to observe the ceasefire in Debaltseve and had a, quote,
'right' to shell Debaltseve because it was, quote, 'their territory.'
The OSCE reports that the Russia-backed separatists continue to deny
monitors access to Debaltseve, and warns of grave consequences of those
in the city if the ceasefire is not implemented there. The OSCE also
confirms that ceasefire violations in Ukraine's east continue, as was
the case yesterday, but the quantity and intensity of attacks has
decreased, with the dramatic exception of course being Debaltseve, which
I just outlined. We've also seen reports of the withdrawal of certain
types of heavy weapons in various parts of Donetsk and Luhansk by both
separatists and Ukrainian government forces."

 

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