Ukrainian volunteer battalions in open revolt against military hierarchy now:
The official Kyiv line:
Ukrainian military forces have retreated from the town of Debaltseve, which had been under siege by pro-Russian separatists. Levko Stek of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service spoke to the soldiers outside Debaltseve after they left the town in the control of rebel fighters.
Moscow dismisses call for Ukraine peacekeepers:
Russia has dismissed Ukraine's calls for UN-mandated peacekeepers to enforce a shaky cease-fire deal in the country’s east.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said the truce agreement signed in Minsk last week should remain the basis for the conflict's resolution.
He also said Kyiv was responsible for making sure the accords were carried out.
Russian-backed separatist leader Denis Pushilin earlier said the presence of peacekeepers would "violate" the Minsk agreement.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called for peacekeepers to enforce the cease-fire after government troops withdrew from the strategic town of Debaltseve on February 18 following intense fighting.
Shelling was reported on February 19 in the rebel-held city of Donetsk and government-held positions in the coastal town of Shyrokyne, near Mariupol. (Reuters, AFP, AP)