A team from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) is monitoring the evacuation of civilians from Debaltseve, the Donetsk region, to Donetsk and Kramatorsk, the SMM press service told Interfax.
Both the government forces and the militia have 50 buses to evacuate civilians either to Donetsk, which is under the militants’ control, or to government-controlled Kramatorsk, a press service member said. He could not say how many people were being evacuated in either direction.
The monitors heard cannonade not far from the place where they arrived but could not precisely locate the area where the fighting was under way.
The Ukrainian government press center of the military operation in the southeastern part of the country had reported earlier on Friday that an agreement had been reached with the militants to stop firing in the daytime on February 6-7 near Debaltseve and on some sections of the roads running from Debaltseve to Vuhlehirsk and Artemivsk for civilians to be safely evacuated from the combat area.
