By RFE/RL
Amnesty International (AI) has expressed concern over an incident in which pro-Russian separatists paraded captive Ukrainian troops through the rebel-held city of Donetsk.
Rebel fighters accompanied by a separatist leader, Aleksandr Zakharchenko, on January 22 marched about a dozen captives to the site of a blast that hit a trolleybus and reportedly killed 13 people earlier in the day.
The prisoners were forced to kneel and subjected to verbal and physical abuse, apparently by angry residents.
Video footage showed at least one being beaten.
Amnesty International said the reports and footage were "worrying."
"Mistreatment of prisoners constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law," the London-based human rights group said in a statement on January 22.
The incident followed increased fighting that has further clouded the prospects for an end to a conflict that has killed more than 4,800 people since April.
From RFE/RL's News Desk:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed Kyiv for a recent escalation of fighting in eastern Ukraine, claiming that the government was conducting "large-scale military action" against pro-Russian separatists.
Putin spoke on January 23 after a separatist leader said rebels who have taken control of the shattered airport in Donetsk vowed to take the entire Donetsk Province, much of which is still held by the government.
Putin said Ukraine had not responded to a proposal the Kremlin says he made to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko earlier this week calling for heavy weapons to be withdrawn from a separation line.
He said that "we have seen opposite actions, namely, the Kyiv authorities have issued an official order to begin large-scale military action virtually on the entire perimeter of the contact line."
Putin said the responsibility for increased fighting lay with those who issue what he called "criminal orders," but he gave no specific evidence of such an order.
From our newsroom:
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov on January 23 warned the West against trying to topple President Vladimir Putin and said that Russians are ready to "eat less" and endure other hardships in support of their leader.
Russia has for the past year been sliding into recession amid falling oil prices and Western sanctions against Moscow's role in the conflict in Ukraine.
Shuvalov, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, acknowledged Russia is "going into a longer crisis" compared with seven years ago, when it was affected for about two years by the global crisis.
But he added, "When a Russian feels any foreign pressure, he will never give up his leader. Never. We will survive any hardship in the country -- eat less food, use less electricity."
Moscow says the sanctions are aimed to push Putin from power, but the West denies that.
The comments by Shuvalov, who is believed to be one of the richest men in the government, triggered sarcastic remarks on Russian social media.
An opposition activist posted photos of Shuvalov's Moscow, London and Austria homes to show where he would experience the hardships he described.
Based on reporting by AP
Slightly extended quotes from Aleksandr Zakharchenko, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, speaking at a news conference today in Donetsk, via Reuters:
"There will be no cease-fire anymore. There will be no more rotations [for Ukrainian soldiers]. Yes we will exchange prisoners, I will explain why -- because our guys are there in captivity and we need to pull them out."
"Kyiv did not understand that we can be on the offensive from three directions at the same time. We are now on an offensive to Marinka-Krasnohorivka, we fight for Pisky-Avdiivka-Ocheretyne, and we are on the offensive to Mayorsk in the direction to Horlivka. Since yesterday -- I will tell you the good news -- the Luhansk People's Republic is also on the offensive, there is also fighting in two directions. Therefore, Kiev will just not be able to be on the defensive in three directions."
BREAKING: Russian President Vladimir Putin says responsibility for the escalation of fighting in eastern Ukraine lies with those who issue criminal orders, wording Moscow has used in past to describe the Ukrainian government.
Latest from our news desk:
The United Nations says that at least 5,000 people have been killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine since April and that the real figure may be "considerably higher."
UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said the toll incudes 262 people killed in the past nine days, making that "the most deadly" period since Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists agreed to a cease-fire on September 5.
Colville told a news briefing in Geneva on January 23 that a "significant escalation in hostilities has taken the toll to 5,086 individuals and we fear the real figure may be considerably higher."