Ukraine News One: Kramatorsk stalemate; Kremlin-backed fighters hunker down in besieged eastern city(VIDEO)

 Insurgent strongholds in Kramatorsk and neighbouring Slovyansk in eastern Ukraine remained besieged by Ukrainian soldiers on 8 June. Many residents of both cities have either fled, or sent their children out of the cities. The main highway linking Slovyansk and the Russian border, a route crowded with trucks just a few weeks ago, is reportedly deserted. 

In places the tarmac is chewed up by the impact of mortar fire. Petro Poroshenko during his inaugural speech on 7 June vowed to press on with Ukraine’s anti-terrorist operations in the region, calling on Kremlin-backed separatists to return to Russia.