What's The Scoop on Ukraine?
By Liana
Staff Writer
Recently there has been a lot of tumult in Ukraine. How did it start? Basically, Ukrainians with anti-government and pro-Russian sentiments took up arms and created an insurgency, causing the Ukrainian government to fight back with its own military. The violence dragged on and continues today. As shown by this map, the rebels have made considerable gains:
Although, there was a cease-fire agreement, written by European leaders and signed by Russian President Putin, it was short-lived. In fact, just a few days ago, there was intense fighting around the town of Debaltseve, an important railway location. The rebels were launching several artillery attacks on the town and have captured around 300 Ukrainian soldiers. Some of the Ukrainian troops have started to retreat, taking some of the heavier military hardware (such as tanks) with them. This is a major blow, militarily and psychologically, to Ukraine.
Ukrainian troops leave Debaltseve.
Is Russia involved in this ongoing conflict? The rebels are pro-Russian, after all. Russia has, in fact, been accused of arming and training the Ukrainian rebels, but Moscow has denied this. But whether Russia is involved or not, the fighting continues, with the rebels determined to win. And it looks like right now they continue to get some victories, as with the town of Debaltseve right now.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/02/18/ukraine-troops-begin-retreat-from-battered-railway-hub-as-cease-fire-crumbles/.