Meanwhile, in Kyiv:
More from our news desk on Ukrainian forces reportedly leaving Debaltseve:
A Ukrainian member of parliament says Ukrainian forces are leaving the strategic town of Debaltseve in eastern Ukraine, amid conflicting reports about the situation on the ground.
Semen Semenchenko, who leads a pro-government paramilitary unit, said on Facebook that Ukrainian troops were leaving Debaltseve "according to plan and in an organized way" but that pro-Russian rebels were trying to block their exit.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry, in turn, said "combat operations" were still underway in the Debaltseve area.
The rebels claim hundreds of Ukrainian troops have surrendered.
Debaltseve, a key transportation hub, has been at the epicenter of fighting between government forces and separatists militants.
Kyiv has called on the European Union and NATO to condemn the militants for violating the ceasefire brokered by European leaders last week.
The truce was supposed to have taken effect on February 15.
BREAKING: Semen Semenchenko, a Ukrainian member of parliament who leads a pro-government volunteer battalion, said on Facebook that Ukrainian military units were leaving the town of Debaltseve “according to plan and in an organized way." Rebels were quoted as saying hundreds of Ukrainian troops were surrendering. (Reuters, Interfax)
