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All rights reserved Subscribe to BuzzFeed Daily NewsletterCaret DownWar Is Hell: Pictures From The Front Lines Of UkrainePhotographer Max Avdeev reports from eastern Ukraine for BuzzFeed News to capture the catastrophic effects of the ongoing war on the region Russian-backed rebels have advanced into government-held territory in eastern Ukraine leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake has claimed more than 5,000 lives and displaced over a million people Ukraine's and Russia's presidents are holding a summit on Wednesday in Minsk that European leaders say is the last chance to stop the violence from spiraling into total war Last week, rebels took over Vuhlehirsk, a formerly sleepy coal-mining town 38 miles north of the rebel stronghold, Donetsk. When BuzzFeed News visited on Sunday the town had been all but completely destroyed by weeks of intense artillery bombardments Only the poorest and most vulnerable locals remain a rebel-held town 10 miles south of Vuhlehirsk The war has been dominated by retrograde artillery exchanges in recent months: Ukrainian officials say shelling accounts for 70% of casualties among government forces The remains of a house hit by a shell in Kondratiivka A group of residents attempting to leave Vuhlehirsk The remains of a tank outside the remains of an apartment building in Vuhlehirsk A local resident walks her dog past the remains of a tank in Vuhlehirsk "I haven't been able to get a Ukrainian one for 23 years Rebels captured an abandoned mine outside Vuhlehirsk on Saturday The rebels are motley volunteers from Russia who have been serving in the Donetsk People's Republic's 6th Storm Brigade since April last year A rebel nicknamed "Iron" commands the brigade "We're not going to stop until we get to Kiev." A rebel fuels a stove with coal from the mine Rebels discuss coordinating artillery fire came to Ukraine in August after seeing Russian TV coverage of the violence and deciding he had to do something left his wife behind in Russia to fight in Ukraine "Quiet One," "Rebel," and "Poloz" now share a house in Vuhlehirsk they captured from Ukrainian national guardsmen "My first priority is to stay alive," Hulk says Rebels firing unguided Grad rockets from Kondratiivka on Sunday Rights groups say that using the notoriously unguided weapons in populated areas is a war crime A member of the armed forces of the separatist self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic looks on near a building destroyed during battles with the Ukrainian armed forces in the town of Vuhlehirsk in Donetsk Pro-Russian rebels appeared to be in full control on Wednesday of the town that has been a principal target of their advance as they attempt to surround a nearby garrison of Ukrainian forces The apparent fall of Vuhlehirsk would be a setback for Kiev which has been trying to defend it and the larger neighbouring town of Debaltseve the covered body of a member of the armed forces of the separatists who was killed in battle with the Ukrainian armed forces has been one of the main targets of the rebel advance sitting in a pocket of government-held territory surrounded on three sides by rebel territory and straddling road and rail routes linking major rebel strongholds some gathered above near a burnt armoured vehicle to make the cities they control more secure and push back government artillery which had been killing civilians Ukraine says its military is outgunned by the heavy weaponry rebels have received from Russia But the prospect of new arms arriving from the United States raises the risk of escalating the war Fighting in a war which has already killed more than 5,000 people has reached an intensity unseen since before a ceasefire in September An attempt to revive peace talks collapsed on Saturday Ukrainian forces are still holed up in neighbouring Debaltseve a major rail town of about three times the size and an important stopping point for goods traffic by rail from Russia Taking the two would link up the main rebel strongholds of Luhansk and Donetsk Convoys of buses carrying many local residents to safety left the besieged town of Debaltseve in eastern Ukraine on Friday as government forces kept up artillery fire to defend their positions against pro-Russian separatists to board and leave the town either to Ukrainian or rebel-held territory An estimated 3,000 people still remained in the town which had a population of around 25,000 before the conflict Ukrainian servicemen keep watch at no-man's land outside Debaltseve A member of the armed forces of the separatist self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic walks near a burnt tank turret in Vuhlehirsk A municipal official looks through the window of a residential block which was damaged by a shelling according to locals which was damaged by shelling in central Donetsk Men remove a broken window near the body of a victim of shelling Wrapped bodies of shelling victims are loaded into a vehicle in Donetsk A woman reacts as she stands near a multi-storey block of flats damaged by shelling in Yenakieve town A man stands in a flat at a residential block damaged by recent shelling in Yenakieve town Local residents gather inside a bomb shelter in Debaltseve A local resident cooks outside her house as children play nearby in Debaltseve A member of the Ukrainian armed forces offers local residents to join people who are boarding a bus and fleeing from military conflict in Debaltseve A woman cries as she flees the conflict in Debaltseve Local residents wait to board a bus to flee the conflict in Debaltseve Local residents flee the conflict in Debaltseve either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content investigative journalist Simon Ostrovsky from working in Russia an Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist best known for his coverage of the Ukraine crisis for Vice News The denial came only days after Ostrovsky contacted Russian soldier Bato Dambayev—who fought in Ukraine as part of the 37th Motorized Infantry Brigade—as part of the journalist's effort to prove that Russian soldiers have fought alongside Russian-backed separatists Using images that Dambayev posted to social media Ostrovsky retraced the soldier's journey from his Siberian hometown of Ulan-Ude to Vuhlehirsk a small Ukrainian city 12.9 kilometers from Debaltseve Locals remember seeing Russian soldiers of non-European appearance in Vuhlerhirsk on February 18 which coincides with the battle of Debaltseve The Kremlin's involvement with the war in Ukraine is politically sensitive After Ostrovsky made contract with Dambayev a campaign of intimidation began in Ulan-Ude and continued to Moscow Migration authorities visited Ostrovsky at his hotel in Ulan-Ude and threatened legal action Then border guards at the airport in Ulan-Ude and Moscow's Domodedovo airport thoroughly searched his belongings "The Russians have banned me from operating here so in my case and the case of many other journalists who haven't had their press credentials renewed Russia has essentially banned the freedom to report," Ostrovsky said in a June 24 interview Ostrovsky's visa application went unanswered for months The Russian Foreign Ministry repeatedly stalled taking weeks to answer follow-up questions and eventually denying his request without giving any reason The Russian Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment "It is not surprising that Ostrovsky was denied a visa given the poor state of press freedom in Russia but it is still outrageous," wrote David J senior director for Human Rights and Democracy at the McCain Institute "We should not resign ourselves into accepting such awful behavior and actions from the Putin regime as the new normal." Ostrovsky has specific advice for the West "One potential measure worth considering is making Russian journalists' access to the U.S "Western policy makers should make freedom of speech and press access a cornerstone of their foreign policy They should make it clear to their Russian colleagues that there will be a concrete diplomatic cost associated with every journalist who is kicked out why wouldn't Russia get rid of all the inconvenient reporters questioning its policy?" "I think too many media organizations have remained silent on this issue although they have seen the foreign press pool slowly be whittled away as the government refuses to give freelance press visas and refuses to give visas to internet publications," he said "It's a matter of time before they start imposing restrictions on more traditional outlets that have had bureaus here for a long time." According to a Levada Center poll, 94 percent of Russians get their news on Ukraine from state-controlled TV Ostrovsky's reporting is in English and is only available online Some of Russia's few remaining liberal outlets have reported on his work So why is Moscow worried about only one foreign journalist "They're trying to send a signal to other journalists that their access to Russia is at stake and they need to self-censor if they want to continue operating in Russia," he said Ostrovsky is no ordinary journalist. Born in what was then the Soviet Union, his family immigrated to the United States. In his "Russian Roulette" series—which includes 112 dispatches from the frontlines in Ukraine—he speaks flawless Russian and native English enabling him to gain access to places where many reporters cannot His videos from Ukraine have garnered more than 2.9 million views which documentary filmmaker Peter Pomerantsev described on June 24 as "the news piece with cinematic dramaturgia the Woody Allen meets Hemingway presenter [who is a character]." "I remember when my old friend Simon Ostrovsky did his first news reports Producers weren't so keen on his style at the time So he went and redefined the format," Pomerantsev wrote "And you know what producers are telling TV reporters now Melinda Haring is editor of Ukraine Alert at the Atlantic Council, on whose site this article first appeared Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed for a snapshot at a battlefield checkpoint Reports of the Russian military helping pro-Russian separatist fighters in Ukraine are common — but can be hard to confirm. Russia denies that its soldiers are fighting in Ukraine VICE News correspondent Simon Ostrovsky decided to retrace the steps of one soldier — as documented in the soldier's social media posts — to see where exactly the soldier had been and if this might help confirm Russia's direct involvement in Ukraine Ostrovsky's new documentary, Selfie Soldiers, chronicles his journey in the footsteps of Bato Dambaev who he'd confirmed was enlisted in the Russian military The film follows up on recent work by the Atlantic Council, a Washington, D.C., think tank that issued a report relying on open-source information to track and verify locations where photos and videos of Russian soldiers and equipment have been taken in Ukraine "I wanted to find any way to be able to confirm what pretty much everybody already believes which is that the Russian government has been directly involved in the conflict in eastern Ukraine," Ostrovsky tells NPR's Arun Rath "And it just happened to be that it was the Russian soldiers themselves who provided that proof inadvertently by posting photographs of themselves online in Ukraine," he says We were working together with the Atlantic Council and Elliott Higgins who's a citizen journalist who's been geolocating — which is to say finding the location of photographs — for a long time until we found one who'd posted a photograph of himself in an area that looked like it was a battlefield and was different from all of the other photographs that he'd posted of himself So once we saw that there was a photograph there that looked a lot like it could have been taken in Ukraine that they're supposed to take off their insignia before they go into Ukraine They're supposed to not take cellphones with them I know that he reported me having contacted him immediately after I spoke with him on the phone but a few hours after I put the phone down the security services came and paid me a visit in my hotel and I was essentially hounded by them out of Russia thereafter the participation of Russian soldiers in Ukraine because everybody from Putin on down denies that it's happening until the Russian government admits that it's taking part in the conflict I don't think there's going to be any kind of a resolution And I hope that this film brings us a little bit closer to that sort of an admission that it's going on way I think the Russians are trying to prevent this kind of reporting is I've been applying for journalist accreditation And it was a few days after I was basically pushed out of Russia that I finally got an email saying that I would be denied journalist paperwork and I think this is an extra method that the government is using to prevent reporting on its activities on Ukraine Become an NPR sponsor KIEV — One of two Russian servicemen Ukraine says it captured while fighting with separatists in eastern Ukraine admitted on a video circulating on Monday that he had been part of a Russian special forces spying mission which has acknowledged in the past that Russian national "volunteers" might be fighting for the separatists repeated its denial that any regular Russian troops were involved in the campaign which has cost over 6,100 lives who identified himself as a sergeant in the "spetsnaz" from the central Russian city of Togliatti said he was part of a 14-member group operating near the big border town of Luhansk The video could not be independently verified but if the soldier did turn out to be a serving Russian officer it would support Kiev's accusations of direct Russian military involvement in the separatist conflict The Ukrainian military said on Sunday that the two Russian soldiers had been captured during a battle with rebels at Shchastya in which a Ukrainian soldier was killed Though a tenuous cease-fire declared last February stemmed large-scale loss of life in a conflict in which more than 6,100 people have been killed skirmishes have continued between government forces and the separatists said his group was on a mission near the line of separation between the warring sides "to carry out observation." I was wounded in the leg as I tried to get away We've been here 4-5 days," he said on the video Apart from the Ukrainian soldier killed near Shchastya two other Ukrainians were killed at the weekend as a result of a mortar attack near the town of Svitlodarsk northeast of separatist-controlled Donetsk Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help please support us monthly starting from just $2 and every contribution makes a significant impact independent journalism in the face of repression Ukraine confirmed the seizure of the Soviet-era coal-fired Vuhlehirska power plant in the country's Donetsk region Understand the impact of the Ukraine conflict from a cross-sector perspective with the GlobalData Executive Briefing: Ukraine Conflict Russian troops have taken control of Ukraine’s second largest power station, Vuhlehirska, near the city of Svitlodarsk, Reuters has reported Located in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region Vuhlehirska is a Soviet-era coal-fired Vuhlehirsk power plant Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy’s adviser Oleksiy Arestovych has confirmed that the power station has been captured by Russian forces that this is only a ‘tiny tactical advantage’ for Russia He added that Moscow is carrying out a ‘massive redeployment’ of its troops in Ukraine’s three southern regions Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis Russian forces had previously claimed to have captured the Vuhlehirska plant intact Earlier this month, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi said that recent reports from the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) suggested an ‘increasingly alarming situation’ in the region Grossi called for ‘maximum restraint’ to avoid any accident that could lead to a life-threatening situation for public health in Ukraine and other regions The IAEA had been unable to reach the nuclear power facility in Ukraine’s southern region since before the conflict began on 24 February Grossi said: “These reports are very disturbing and further underline the importance of the IAEA going to the Zaporizhzya plant “I’m continuing my determined efforts to agree and lead a safety security and safeguards mission to the site as soon as possible “From the beginning of the military conflict in Ukraine the IAEA has warned about the risk of a severe nuclear accident in a country with 15 reactors at four operational NPPs “In view of the recent unconfirmed reports about events at or near the Zaporizhzya NPP I am gravely concerned about this very real danger with potentially serious consequences.” In March this year, Grossi was notified that the Russian military had taken control of the area around the Zaporizhzhya NPP Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network Felicity is a reporter for Newsweek Europe based in London A Russian travel company is to start organising sightseeing trips to war-torn eastern Ukraine The trips will reportedly last for about four days, and the company will charge around £1,300 to £2,000 per person. Tourists will be able to tour recent battlegrounds and will be offered souvenirs and there may be an option where the visitors can choose their own routes "I don't think this will become a permanent destination This is rather event tourism," Anatoly Aronov the co-owner of the travel company told Izvestiya A special armoured vehicle for five to seven people is being prepared for the trips and security guards will accompany each group Around 10 people have so far expressed an interest although the company has said it won't accept any responsibility for what could happen to those who choose to take up the offer this controversial choice of holiday destination being offered by the company has prompted outrage and I didn't expect such a proposal to appear at all especially from our Moscow colleagues," said Stanislav Vinokurov Luhansk's self-proclaimed sports and tourism minister to Izvestiya "I understand and support commercial initiatives in the tourism industry Despite the agreement of a peace deal in Minsk last week, intense fighting has continued particularly over control of the town of Debaltseve But the prospect of new arms arriving from the United States raises the risk of escalating the war.Rebels say they had no choice but to advance to make the cities they control more secure and push back government artillery which had been killing civilians.At least two shells landed near a hospital in the separatist stronghold Donetsk on Wednesday killing at least three people.A statement by the rebel-controlled city administration said an artillery shell had hit the building at noon (0900 GMT) and said five people had been killed and five wounded Kiev's state prosecutor's office later said from four to 10 people had been killed and blamed the separatists for the attack.A Reuters cameraman who went to the scene said the hospital had not itself been hit though a shell had left a big crater in the ground 20 metres away He saw three bodies - one near the hospital and two others on the street People at the scene said at least two shells had been fired one after the other.German Chancellor Angela Merkel whose country hosts world leaders in Munich at the weekend said the situation had sharply worsened in east Ukraine and called for the negotiation process not to be abandoned.The EU's foreign policy chief condemned the separatist offensive against Debaltseve.Kiev insists that a ceasefire agreement reached in Minsk last September with separatist leaders is the only viable roadmap to peace and the rebels flouted the agreement by seizing swathes of territory.The rebels appear now to be seeking a new blueprint and want a different format for talks involving senior Ukrainian state officials."We have to follow the logic of the Minsk agreement We need firstly a real ceasefire just to stop continuous shelling and the suffering of people on the ground We need to agree on the touchline (lines of engagement) and we need to start withdrawing artillery from this line," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin told a group of foreign journalists on Wednesday.It was important the EU did not relax sanctions on Russia he said.A Kiev military spokesman said four soldiers had been killed and 25 had been wounded in fighting against pro-Russian separatists in the previous 24 hours and separatists were continuing attacks on Debaltseve.Reporting by Natalia Zinets and Pavel Polityuk; Writing by Richard Balmforth; Editing by Peter Graff but it means little in the battle-scarred town of Vuhlehirsk where 8,000 inhabitants are stuck in no man’s land between the two sides "},"children":[]}]},{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":" Rockets from Ukrainian positions regularly whistle overhead and rebel fighters of the Donetsk People’s Republic return fire who have taken to counting each burst before returning to the business of wondering how to survive with no salaries and pensions "},"children":[]}]},{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":" Stranded on the front line of the war Vuhlehirsk is in Ukrainian government hands but cut off from its nearby administrative centre The population has been abandoned in a"},"children":[]}]}]},"summary({\"maxCharCount\":200})":{"type":"json","json":[{"name":"paragraph","children":[{"name":"text","attributes":{"value":" There is supposed to be a ceasefire in Ukraine between government and rebel forces The TimesVuhlehirsk is in Ukrainian government hands but cut off from its nearby administrative centreMARKO DJURICA/REUTERSLily HydeTuesday September 23 2014 The Times There is supposed to be a ceasefire in Ukraine between government and rebel forces Rockets from Ukrainian positions regularly whistle overhead the Trypillia Thermal Power Plant in the Kyiv region was completely destroyed chairman of the supervisory board of PJSC Centrenergo "All the workers who were on duty during the shelling are alive," Hota said massive fires broke out in the turbine hall as a result of the strikes Hota revealed that PJSC Centrenergo has lost 100% of its generation capacity the Zmiivka Thermal Power Plant in the Kharkiv region was completely destroyed by shelling the Vuhlehirsk Thermal Power Plant in the Donetsk region was seized efforts to contain the fire at the plant are underway It is worth noting that recently the mayor of Ukrayinka urged residents to close windows in their homes to avoid inhaling harmful smoke The Trypillia Thermal Power Plant is the most powerful power plant in the Kyiv region This region belongs to energy-intensive areas where energy-generating enterprises with a total capacity of 3200 MW are located with the installed capacity of the Trypillia TPP accounting for approximately 57% the energy-generating enterprise is the largest supplier of electricity to the Kyiv The enterprise covers an area of ​​281.3 hectares and is located 45 km from Kyiv near the historic Ukrainian settlement of Trypillia the Trypillia TPP had 4 power units with a capacity of 300 MW each it was decided to build two additional units of the same type thermal power plants in Ukraine account for a significant portion of the electricity produced and consumed in the country and the Trypillia TPP is one of the two most powerful thermal power plants in Ukraine the Trypillia thermal power plant essentially became the largest energy-generating enterprise in the Kyiv region Russia carried out a mass shelling of Ukraine The enemy used 82 aerial attack assets (combat drones and missiles) of which 57 targets were successfully destroyed by air defense forces For more details on the consequences of Russia's attack on Ukraine, read the RBC-Ukraine's coverage Ukrainian troops guard a roadblock between the towns of Vuhlehirsk and Debaltseve You must be logged in to post a comment Rockets killed more than 10 civilians and soldiers deep in Ukrainian government-held territory yesterday and rebels pushed on with an assault on an army-held rail junction setbacks that showed Kiev’s position worsening on the eve of peace talks Advances by pro-Russian rebels diminished hopes of a deal when Russia France and Germany hold a summit in Minsk today under a new Franco-German initiative to halt fighting in a war that has killed more than 5,000 people European officials say it is difficult to imagine the rebels agreeing to halt and go back to earlier positions after weeks during which they have been advancing relentlessly A Russian source quoted by the state RIA news agency said there were no plans to sign a document to resolve the conflict at the peace talks and the main subject would be creation of a demilitarised zone hitting the main headquarters of the Ukrainian military campaign in the east Local officials said at least seven civilians were killed while 26 civilians and 10 soldiers were wounded A parliamentary deputy said four soldiers were also killed A Reuters photographer saw the body of a woman who had been killed The tail of a rocket stuck out of a small crater in the ground but their apparent ability to strike so far into Ukrainian-held territory will complicate the peace talks that aim to re-establish a ceasefire that the separatists repudiated with a new offensive last month volleys of artillery crashed in both directions The rebels are pushing to encircle government forces holding out in nearby Debaltseve Rebels sounded triumphant and said they had no intention of halting with government troops on the back foot “The Debaltseve bubble has been shut firmly There is no way they can get out,” said a commander of a reconnaissance unit who identified himself by the nom de guerre of Malysh – “Little One” who said he was a Russian fighter and not a Ukrainian weapons and soldiers across the frontier to help fight for territory it calls “New Russia” announced month-long war games yesterday involving about 2,000 troops on its side of the border Russia denies involvement in the fighting in Ukraine Paris and Berlin have kept expectations low for their new peace initiative French President Francois Hollande said the leaders were heading to the talks “with the strong will to succeed but without being sure that we will be able to do it” German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said simply holding the summit was no guarantee of success Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko said today’s talks would be one of the last chances to declare an unconditional ceasefire and withdraw heavy weaponry proposals that appear to have more appeal to retreating Kiev than to advancing rebels The renewed fighting has brought calls in the West for more pressure against Moscow US President Barack Obama is weighing whether to deliver weapons to Kiev He met Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday but announced no decision on weapons despite several senior officials in his administration coming out last week in favour of sending some arms European countries oppose sending arms to Kiev arguing this would escalate the war while providing nowhere near enough fire power for the Ukrainians to win it a rebel reconnaissance unit was busy securing trenches and bunkers that had been abandoned by Ukrainian troops wires for field telephones and even discarded boots An armoured rebel column of tanks and trucks approached the newly captured town the reconnaissance squad commander in a brand new Russian-style uniform with no insignia wiped snow from the face of a dead soldier with a Ukrainian flag shoulder patch this is the face of a Nato murderer,” Malysh said commander of a Cossack volunteer unit in a traditional fur hat with cockade said rebels were ready to advance to Ukrainian positions about three kilometres away “Top commanders are calling this ‘the Debaltseve cauldron’ and we will squeeze Ukrainians so much it will no longer be a cauldron but a tea cup,” he said of a curve in the front line where Ukrainians are surrounded on three sides by 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