Debaltseve under rebel control, Cossacks predominate

DEBALTSEVE, Ukraine — Rebel fighters, many of them Cossacks, roamed the streets of Debaltseve on Thursday, a day after Ukrainian forces began withdrawing from the besieged town. The mood was celebratory, with fighters laughing, hugging each other and posing for photos.

Associated Press journalists who drove around about half of the town that has been a focal point for fierce fighting in eastern Ukraine found all neighbourhoods under the control of rebel fighters, most of them appearing to be Cossacks.

Nikolai Kozitsyn, a Russian Cossack leader who has been a prominent warlord in separatist eastern Ukraine, drove around in a Humvee-like vehicle that had been captured from Ukrainian troops. Other rebels were seen waving separatist flags.

But in a reminder of the dangers of the area, one car carrying Cossacks hit a landmine 200 metres from the AP journalists, killing one Cossack and injuring one other.

A Ukrainian military spokesman said Thursday that more than 90 per cent of its forces have been withdrawn from Debaltseve and its surroundings, but left unclear when the retreat might be completed.

Military spokesman Anatoliy Stelmakh also said rebels heavily shelled a village on the outskirts of the strategic port city of Mariupol in the last day, despite a cease-fire that was supposed to go into effect on Sunday.

Ukrainian troops began abandoning Debaltseve on Wednesday after weeks of heavy fighting. Control of the town is a significant strategic gain for the rebels because it's a railway junction that straddles the most direct route between Donetsk and Luhansk, the separatist region's two main cities.

In Paris, French President Francois Hollande said he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke Thursday with the leaders of Ukraine and Russia about
ceasefire violations and their consequences. He did not elaborate.

The Kremlin confirmed that the four leaders had spoken by phone and praised the ceasefire deal, saying it has led to "a reduction in the number of civilian casualties”.

The leaders "emphasised the necessity of ensuring the sustainability of the ceasefire", the Kremlin said, urging both sides to withdraw heavy weapons and release all prisoners. It said the foreign ministers of the four countries would get in contact to talk more about implementing the Minsk peace deal for eastern Ukraine.

The war in eastern Ukraine has killed 5,600 people and force over a million to flee their homes since fighting began in April.