DONETSK (Sputnik) — The bodies of at least 76 people have been found in the region of the town of Debaltseve in eastern Ukraine, a spokeswoman for the Emergencies Ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said Friday.
"As of 8:00 a.m. Moscow time (05:00 GMT) on February 27, the bodies of 76 people were discovered," Yuliana Bedilo told RIA Novosti, without specifying to the identities of the dead.
Debaltseve, a key transport hub between the two breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine's southeast, was a hotly contested area for days before armed forces encircled and trapped Ukrainian troops there last week.
Last Wednesday, President Poroshenko announced the successful withdrawal of over 2,000 Kiev-led troops from Debaltseve. The following day, militias claimed control of the town.
