I hope you’ve enjoyed this story. You can subscribe to my newsletter by emailing me at Jenn@Gennita-Low.com. Please write NEWSLETTER in the topic area.
1) The Minsk Protocol was signed in 2014 but did not last. The ceasefire was broken a few months later when both sides resumed artillery fire in the city and suburbs of Donetsk. rt.com/news/223887-ukraine-army-donetsk-bombs
2) The bloody battle for Donetsk Airport was of utmost important in the war between Ukraine and the Russian-backed rebels. Because of its state-of-the art facility was the Achilles heel to the separatists. In order to take full control of the city, Sergey Prokofiev International Airport must fall. The Ukrainians were cornered in the second and third floors of the new terminal, waiting for help. The separatists, having intercepted and shelled much of the aid coming from the Ukrainian government, killed and captured a number of the elite 80th Paratroopers Brigade. A small group, who managed to hide in the many serpentine hide-outs of the airport, was rescued when international “contractors” aided the Ukrainians. This is all reported in the news. I’ve just added Andre and his group into the mix.
3) When the ceasefire agreement was signed, Mariupol did indeed celebrate noisily, its inhabitants hopeful that their city would be saved from battle. However, as of March 2015, much of the city has been shelled and many citizens have fled. Many are moving out of the country as refugees.