REPORTS: Pro-Moscow rebels just captured a key Ukrainian town
REUTERSReports in Russian media suggest that pro-Russian rebels have taken the railway town of Debaltseve from besieged Ukrainian government forces.
The rebels claim that most of the city is now under the control of armed groups loyal to the breakaway Donetsk People's Republic, according to Riga-based online newspaper and news aggregator Meduza.io. The article cites Ukrainian journalist Andrew Tsaplienko as saying that the police department and the railway station have been taken.
Debaltseve is of central strategic importance to both sides as it is a key railway hub and sits deep in an area that is mostly controlled by the separatists. Its loss would signal a consolidation of the gains made by the rebels against government forces over recent months, that NATO, the US and Europe believe was achieved with Russian assistance.
The official Twitter account of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine has acknowledged that there has been heavy fighting around the town but earlier claimed that Ukrainian forces had been able to hold their positions.
The move comes just days since a new ceasefire agreement came into effect in the country. Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko ordered his troops to stop firing at 10pm on Saturday local time. However, there have been widespread reports that fighting continued between government forces and pro-Moscow rebels around Debaltseve.
Even as the deal was being signed, Kiev reported that 50 tanks and 40 missile systems were spotted crossing the border into Ukraine from Russia, in what many saw as an effort to shore up the rebel position in disputed areas before the ceasefire came into force.
Poroshenko has asked for a comprehensive ceasefire for peace monitors from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to be able to enter the town.
Yesterday the European Union increased the number of people and groups targeted under its sanctions regime. A number of militia groups currently participating in the fighting around Debaltseve were included.