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 drove Thursday around half of the town that has been a focal point for fierce fighting in eastern Ukraine, finding all neighborhoods under the control of rebel fighters, most of them appearing to be Cossacks.
Nikolai Kozitsyn, a Russian Cossack leader and 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 land mine yards from the AP journalists, killing one Cossack and injuring one other.
Ukrainian troops began abandoning Debaltseve on Wednesday after weeks of heavy fighting. A Ukrainian military spokesman said Thursday that more than 90 percent of its forces have been withdrawn from Debaltseve and its surroundings, but left unclear when the retreat might be completed.
Capturing 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.
Read Friday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
