LOGVINOVE, Ukraine - When Russian-backed rebels went on the offensive in east Ukraine a month ago, the focal point of the clashes quickly switched to Debaltseve, a strategically key rail junction linking their two unsanctioned states. For weeks, Ukraine's government denied rebel claims to have the town surrounded, even as artillery fire prompted most civilians to flee, killed hundreds, and destroyed the town beyond recognition.
Russia's War Against Ukraine
BuzzFeed: Horrific images capture the sheer brutality of war in Ukraine
A view of a shelled dwelling house in downtown Myronivsky near Debaltseve in Donetsk Oblast on Feb. 17.
