AVDIYIVKA, Ukraine – Fighting between government troops and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine escalated on Jan. 31, killing at least eight people late Jan. 30 and early Jan. 31, injuring dozens and briefly trapping more than 200 coal miners underground, the warring sides reported.
Rebels in Donetsk said an electricity sub-station was damaged in shelling, cutting power to the Zasyadko coal mine. The mine is notorious for its safety standards; 33 people were killed there in 2015 by a methane blast.
