Sappers clear mines in rebel-held Debaltseve

Описание: (14 Mar 2015) Pro-Russian rebel sappers cleared mines and searched for unexploded bombs in the rebel-held town of Debaltseve on Saturday.
Debaltseve, the centre of one of the fiercest battles of Ukraine's war, lies in ruins three weeks after it was captured by pro-Russia separatists.
Sappers disarmed hand grenades as they searched for mines and unexploded bombs.
"We watch branches. Grenades are hanging from branches, and on the ground, green fishing lines can be anywhere," said "Yura Topor" (nom de guerre), a sapper working in the fields.
A ceasefire agreed in Minsk in February led to a drastic reduction in fighting between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian rebel forces, although skirmishes continue to be reported daily.
Local resident Olga Voronina told The Associated Press she welcomes sappers in the area, as they search for unexploded bombs that could put her family in danger.
"Eight months under shelling. Scary, that's why we have closed path and waited for sappers to come. Everything is damaged," she said.
Sappers have already found exploded bombs in some areas, while in others, unexploded shells were taken to remote fields to be destroyed.
The town of Debaltseve is crucial because it provides a direct link between the two main rebel cities of Donetsk and Luhansk.
The struggle for the strategic rail hub, a sleepy town with a pre-war population of 25,000 people, became one of the darkest pages in the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has already killed more than 6,000 people.


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