On Monday (February 23), the Ukrainian, Russian, German and French foreign ministers will meet in Paris for talks on the progress of the ceasefire in Ukraine’s crisis-torn east.<br /><br /> In parts of the region, the fragile truce appears to be holding. This seems to be the case in Debaltseve, a strategically-positioned town likely to be on the ministers’ agenda in the talks.<br /><br /> To help uphold the terms of the ceasefire, Ukrainian government troops left the town, leaving it under rebel control. It represents one of the military’s biggest defeats.<br /><br /> Venturing outside<br /><br /> After days of relentless bombardment and weeks of being caught in the crossfire, residents of Debaltseve have started to venture out of shelters, cellars and other hiding places.<br /><br /> One, Russian-speaking woman, said:<br />“It’s already been a month. We live in the cold, we are hungry, we have no bread, nothing. This is what President Poroshenko has done to us.”<br /><br /> Another woman – also speaking Russian – said:<br /><br /> “They drove us into the ce
