Ukrainian forces quit besieged town after rebel assault

Ukrainian servicemen ride on a military vehicle as they leave an area around Debaltseve, eastern Ukraine near Artemivsk, February 18, 2015.REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

ARTEMIVSK/BULAVYNE, Ukraine (Reuters) - Ukraine pulled thousands of troops out of an encircled town on Wednesday after a massive assault by pro-Russian rebels, who ignored a new ceasefire to seize the strategic railway junction.

The fall of the besieged town of Debaltseve was one of the worst defeats of the war for Ukraine's troops, who proved unable to stop an advance by Moscow-backed rebels fighting for territory the Kremlin calls "New Russia".