The Battle of Debaltseve was a military confrontation in the city of Debaltseve, Donetsk Oblast, between the pro-Russian separatist forces of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), and the Ukrainian Armed Forces, starting in mid-January 2015 during the war in the Donbas region. The Russian forces composed mostly of "Wagner Group" soldiers recaptured Debaltseve, which had been under Ukrainian control since a counter-offensive by government forces in July 2014. The city lay in a "wedge" of Ukrainian-held territory bordered by the DPR on one side, and the LPR on the other, and is a vital road and railway junction.
Damaged building July 25, 2014
The Debaltseve to Bakhmut highway, surrounded by open steppe.
Ukrainian T-64BV tank in the Debaltseve area
Ukrainian forces near Debaltseve
Debaltseve or Debaltsevo is a city in Horlivka Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, currently occupied by Russia as part of the Donetsk People's Republic. The city is situated on the eastern edge of Donetsk Oblast, and borders Luhansk Oblast. Population: 24,209.
Debaltseve railway station in 2010
Memorial plaque to Boris Shcherbina, a figure of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union