DONETSK, Ukraine — The relative quiet of December in eastern Ukraine has been erased by an explosion of deadly violence in past weeks, marking a serious escalation in the nine-month-long war between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists and dashing hopes for a peaceful resolution.
Since New Year's Day, there have been three particularly brutal attacks: rockets struck a Ukrainian-controlled checkpoint in the town of Volnovakha, south of this rebel stronghold, killing 13 people aboard a packed commuter bus; a similar attack followed a week later, when another 13 people were killed by shells that exploded at a busy Donetsk bus stop; and then on Saturday missiles rained down on the Kiev-controlled seaside city of Mariupol, leaving at least 30 people dead and some 100 injured Read more...
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