Rebel fighters, many of them Cossacks, roamed the streets of Debaltseve on Thursday, a day after Ukrainian forces began withdrawing from the besieged town. The mood was celebratory, with fighters laughing, hugging each other and posing for photos.
Associated Press journalists drove on Thursday around half of the town that has been a focal point for weeks of fierce fighting in eastern Ukraine, finding all its neighbourhoods under the control of rebel fighters.