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February 16 – Continued sanctions against Russia, crisis in Ukraine, and January terrorist acts in Paris have placed under threat the possibility of a peaceful life for more than 800 million Europeans. This was raised in the letter by the speaker of Derzhduma in Russia, Serhiy Naryshkin, addressed to the Parliaments of European countries, the European Council, European Parliament, as well as the OBSE Parliamentary Assembly, writes Newsweek. The letter urges European Parliaments to stop the crisis. It is noteworthy that the letter is not a public letter. It was released to journalists by the Parliaments. Interesting – who will resolve this war – if not Russia? Of course, Russia decided to scare the world with a World War, which it itself is unleashing. A reminder, on Monday, the new EU sanctions against Russia took effect.

February 16 – Illegal armed groups have fired at the positions of ATO forces over 112 times. The fragile ceasefire in Ukraine appears to have collapsed just 48 hours after being implemented, as separatist fighters and government troops continued to engage in tit-for-tat fighting.

February 16 – Pro-Russian separatists cannot "morally" stop fighting for the town of Debaltseve in east Ukraine because it is "internal territory" and must respond to fire from Ukrainian troops, Denis Pushilin, a rebel representative.

February 16 – In Rostov province, the Russian Emergencies Ministry has completed the preparation of the 12th column of humanitarian aid for Donbas and it is ready to ship. It consists of more than 170 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid totaling more than 1.5 thousand tons. The next "humanitarian convoy" of the Russian Federation, which crosses the Ukrainian border without the permission of the Ukrainian authorities, will be regarded as an invasion. This was stated by the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN, Yuriy Sergeyev, says Joinfo.ua.

February 16 – The United States said on Feb. 16 it is "gravely concerned" by fighting in and around Debaltseve in eastern Ukraine that flared up after a ceasefire agreement and said it is closely monitoring reports of a new column of Russian military equipment moving toward the region.

February 16 – The situation in eastern Ukraine is very unstable, and the path towards a total peace will be extremely complicated, especially concerning the situation around Debaltsev. This was stated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

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February 18 – Ukrainian troops left the city of Debaltseve as a result of massed intense fire by the Russian Army and pro-Russian terrorists – according to Minsk agreements Ukrainian military couldn't fire back in order not to break "Putin's ceasefire". "This morning Armed Forces of Ukraine together with the National Guards of Ukraine have completed a planned and organized withdrawal of forces from Debaltseve", – said the president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, who led the operation.

February 18 – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has spoken about the use of modern weapons by the militants of "People's Republic of Donetsk" and "People's Republic of Luhansk" against Ukrainian military near Debaltseve. He did not specify the kind of weapon.

February 18 – "I call on Russia to withdraw all its troops from the east of Ukraine, to cease all support of the separatists, follow Minsk agreements and pressure on the separatists to force them to comply with ceasefire", – said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

February 18 – 167 wounded were transported to Artemivsk from Debaltseve. It was impossible to pick up the bodies of many who were killed.

February 18 – The militants supported by Russia demonstrate a clear intention to expand their control over the region, recognizes PACE, – said the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Anne Brasseur.

February 18 – European Union should consider deploying a military mission to Donbas if Minsk agreements are not adhered to and the fighting continues, – said the representative of Ukraine to the EU Konstantin Eliseev in his comment to BBC Radio. "We must use all our efforts and capacities (not only Ukraine, but the US and the EU) to press Kremlin to stop military fighting. If this fails, we must talk about a plan "B". Perhaps, it is time for the EU to consider the possibility of a military intervention in Donbas".

February 18 – According to President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, in Debaltseve, the mission of Ukraine's Armed Forces was fully accomplished, despite the fact that the Ukrainian Army totally left the city. "This position and successes were very necessary in Minsk during the negotiations, and after Minsk. We could demonstrate to the whole world the real face of the bandits, separatists, supported by Russia, which took on the role of the guarantor and a direct participant of the Minsk negotiations," emphasized Poroshenko.

The head of the country clarified information about the encirclement of the Debaltseve fighters as well as about the massive deaths of Ukrainian soldiers. "We stated and proved that Debaltseve was under our controll, there was no encirclement. Our forces and divisions left in a planned organized fashion. They left with their full artillery, with tanks, with BNP, with SAU, with tractors, with automobile technology," stated Poroshenko. According to the President, those who left Debaltseve included the 128th Mountain Infantry Brigade, parts of the sub-divisions of the 30th Brigade, the 25th Battalion, the rest of the 40th Battalion, Special Forces, and the National Guard.

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