The silence regime in Donbas (the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine) when all combat operations were to be ceased was declared on December 9. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced plans to introduce a moratorium on combat operations between Ukrainian units and south-eastern militias on December 4. According to the United Nations, more than 4,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have fled Ukraine’s southeast as a result of clashes between Ukrainian troops and local militias in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions during Kiev’s military operation, conducted since mid-April, to regain control over the breakaway territories. Images of the daily life in Donetsk region amidst ongoing shelling - in photo gallery by TASS
Eastern Ukraine on the eve of 'Day of silence'
The regime of silence was declared in eastern Ukraine on December 9
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Silence regime in eastern Ukraine began at 09:00 a.m. local time December 9. Photo: Donetsk residents pass by a burnt out bus after a shelling attack
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS Photo: Donetsk resident tapes a broken window in his apartment after a shelling attack
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS Photo: A damaged house after a shelling attack in Donetsk
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS The majority of residents save their money and buy only what they really need
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS Photo: Man walks with bread past the badly damaged marketplace near Donetsk's railway station
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS Photo: People queue at a market in the town of Makiivka where local producers sell their goods at a reduced price, Donetsk region
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS Photo: A member of the Donetsk People's Republic militia seen at a market in the town of Makiivka, Donetsk region
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS Photo: At a market in the town of Makiivka, Donetsk region
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS Photo: A tram goes past a Grad missile remnant in the city of Donetsk
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS Photo: Сraftsman from Donetsk makes a copy of Imperial Crown of Russia out of missile remnants
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS About a third of gas stations are working in the city of Donetsk
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS As winter comes local residents expect aggravation of the food situation
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS Photo: Local militia man at a checkpoint in Donetsk
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS Photo: A fence damaged during a shelling attack in Donetsk
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS