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Ukrainian servicemen ride in a tank close to the airport in the eastern city of Donetsk, a facility which has been the site of intense fighting for several weeks.
Ukrainian servicemen ride in a tank close to the airport in the eastern city of Donetsk, a facility which has been the site of intense fighting for several weeks.

Live Blog: Ukraine In Crisis (Archive)

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19:12 15.9.2014
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Andrei Babitsky from RFE/RL's Moldovan Service has been talking to Andrei Purgin, the deputy prime minister of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic. According to him, the separatists signed the Minsk cease-fire agreement to focus on restoring the region's damaged infrastructure before winter sets in:

Economically, Purgin conceded, the regions have a lot of work to do. He said the separatists agreed to the September 5 Minsk cease-fire primarily because of the damage the war has done to the region's economic infrastructure.

"Winter is just around the corner," Purgin said. "There is a humanitarian catastrophe and colossal damage." He said not a single rail line to Donetsk is operating and dozens of bridges and pipelines are out of commission. He accused Ukrainian forces of deliberately targeting electricity substations "in order to deprive civilians of water and electricity."

The Donetsk authorities say they are using the cease-fire to repair some of the damage.

"We have replaced kilometers of wiring," Purgin said. "We have extended electricity supplies to dozens of major populated areas and hundreds of smaller ones. We are reestablishing gas and water provision."

"Very few enterprises or mines are still working," Purgin said. "Very few. Many mines are idle, although several continue surface work. Some are pumping out water -- three mines in Donetsk are flooded. The situation is extremely serious.

Read the entire article here

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