London – Kyiv, January 26 (PolitNavigator, Vasily Ablyazimov) – Information agency Reuters confirms the development of the militia’s offensive around the Debaltseve pocket, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces troops are located.
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“The rebels are constantly attacking government posts of Ukrainian units throughout the conflict zone with artillery, mortars, grenade launchers, and tanks. The government in Kyiv declared a state of emergency in two rebel regions and established a state of high alert throughout Ukraine,” the agency reports.
The rebels are going to surround Debaltseve, a city with a population of about 26 thousand people. The main goal is to cut the supply of the track and the railway, which stretches between the two main strongholds of the rebels, Donetsk and Lugansk. They claim that the garrison in Debaltseve threatens to bombard civilian areas of unrecognized territories.
Ivan, a 35-year-old soldier from Debaltseve, told the agency that the city was almost completely surrounded by rebels.
“It’s almost impossible to get here in the last 48 hours. The road is under fire from separatists. There is no electricity or water. The hospital was destroyed and the shops are closed,” he told Reuters. “Ukrainian troops are still holding out in the city, but the question is how long they can hold out without additional support.”
The offensive in the Mariupol area has not yet been conducted, according to Reuters. The capture of this city by rebels can connect Crimea with Donetsk by sea, and this is the most important strategic point of the battle, as well as Debaltseve.