KYIV. Feb 20 (Interfax) - The militia have taken control of a number of populated localities in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the vicinity of Debaltseve, head of the Luhansk region state administration Hennadiy Moskal said.
The Ukrainian army retreated from the fierce battle for Vuhlehirsk in early February, and the militia seized control of Lohvynove, Nikishyne and Ridkodub in the Donetsk region and Mius in the Luhansk region.
The army has also left Chornukhyne in the Popasna district, Moskal said. "The LPR militants came to that town. Chornukhyne occupies an area of 753 hectares; it had a population of over 6,000 during peace time. Contact was lost with the town, which the past few weeks, found itself in within the Debaltseve theater of operations and fighting was taking place in the streets. Multiple attempts to evacuate town residents, who were hiding in basements, failed," the Moskal press service reported.
The Ukrainian army left Debaltseve on February 19.
Moskal said later that a complete ceasefire had yet to be achieved on the Kyiv-controlled lands in the Luhansk region although the area was relatively calm already. "Popasna was shelled by mortars, first at 10 a.m. and then after 1 p.m. [precisely when local residents were being paid pensions] and around 4 p.m.," says a report posted on his website. The attacks targeted Ukrainian army posts but there were no casualties nor damage.
Gunfire exchanges went on near Troitske in the Debaltseve area on Thursday and hostilities continued near Krymske in the Novoaidar district. There were no casualties nor damage done to local infrastructures and homes either.