Ukrainian troops suddenly left the town of Debaltseve on Wednesday after days of continuous shelling from pro-Russian separatists despite the ceasefire deal that supposedly took effect on Saturday.

According to reports, the pro-Russian rebels attacked the soldiers with non-stop shelling and bombing so it remains unclear how the Ukrainian military escaped the area without having to surrender.

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Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he was the one who ordered the "strategic transportation" in order to get the Ukrainian military out of Debaltseve. Officials have reportedly been planning the retreat for days as a meas of transporting the survivors safely.

The troops were reportedly transported via ambulances and trucks but it was not long before the enemies took notice of the operation. These transportation were then shot with rocket-propelled grenades, tanks and sniper rifles, injuring many of the soldiers.

Due to the attacks, a fewer number of soldiers were transported while those injured were placed in an area where they were less visible to the enemies and they were retrieved a little later that day. 

Sergeant Volodomyr, one of the Ukrainian soldiers, said many trucks left the area to go to Debaltseve but only a third of the vehicles were able to return.

The statement of Poroshenko recently contradicts his earlier decision regarding fighting the pro-Russian rebels despite the ceasefire deal. He refused to completely hand over the town to the separatists despite them having seized at least 80 percent of the land.

Samuel Charp, a senior official from Russia and Eurasia from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said it was inevitable that many of the Ukrainian troops would be slaughtered due to the refused retreat. It was clear that Ukrainian forces will not be able to take over Debaltseve, he added.

Aside from Ukrainian officials being questioned about not retreating despite the ceasefire deal, Russia was also questioned about backing the separatists. United States Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly told Russian foreign minister Sergey V. Lavrov via the State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki that Russia and the separatists should stop the attacks on the Ukrainian troops.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin released a statement telling Ukrainian officials to surrender to the separatists. He also told Poroshenko to be a responsible leader and let his troops go home to their families.

TagsDebaltseve, Ukraine, Russia, Ukraine crisis, retreat, ceasefire