OTD (January 25th) in 2015:

- Nationwide mourning day is declared as Mariupol reels from a Grad shelling the day before that left 30 residents killed and 93 wounded.

- Moscow blocks a UN resolution condemning the attack

- DNR's Zakharchenko announces offensive on the city

And more below:

• The massive bombardment of Skhidnyi district on the morning of the 24th was the single deadliest shelling of a civilian area by either side of the conflict so far. Local authorities estimate over 100 million Hryvnias in damage to civilian infrastructure. Over 200 buildings suffered damage - 37 private homes, 22 apartment buildings, 7 schools & kindergartens, energy infrastructure and others. The explosions shattered nearly all windows in and surrounding the area.

  There are no doubts about perpetrators of the attack - the rockets fell down on the city's easternmost residential district. Both OSCE and locals described that judging by the impact craters rockets came from the east, where Russian forces have been positioned since September.

  Just before the attack, head of the DNR Alexander Zakharchenko declared a start of an offensive on Mariupol. After the attack he clarified to Russian news outlet RIA Novosti that he only meant Ukrainian military positions near the city. The UN Security Council holds a session early in the morning. A resolution condemning the attack and declaring Zakharchenko a terrorist is vetoed by Russia. A follow-up meeting to discuss this attack and the general escalation is set to occur on the next day.

• President Poroshenko declares that a special operation to destroy the launch sites was successful. After a series of bilateral meetings in Riyadh, Poroshenko also announces that a new round of negotiations in the "Geneva format" - US, EU, Ukraine and Russia - is starting.

• Three defenders of Donetsk Intl. Airport have been released from Russian captivity - Serhii Boiko, Volodymyr Prediuk, and Dmytro Kostets'kyi. Different govt sources put the number of "cyborgs" remaining in captivity between 16 and over several dozen. The 242-day defense of Donetsk Airport has ended after the airport had been practically demolished by Russian forces.

  The ATC tower, a crucial position, collapsed on January 13th. On 19th and 20th demolition charges led to the collapse of the new terminal, burying 24 defenders.

• Since the fall of the airport, Russian and collaborationist forces went on an offensive throughout the front. The heaviest fighting is in the Debaltseve salient, located on high ground and stretching deep into occupied territory.

  This is what is usually called the "Debaltseve Cauldron". The stated mission of Russian forces is to cut off the large Ukrainian grouping around Debaltseve. According to some sources and evidenced by attacks on Popasna and Toretsk, the true target is Bakhmut.

  Indeed, an encirclement and destruction of the Debaltseve grouping could spell disaster and collapse for this sector of the front. Meanwhile should the Ukrainian troops hold the enemy off, they would maintain this large thorn in the side of the occupied territory.

  Also indicating the ambitious plans of the Russo-collaborationist forces is Zakharchenko's speech on the 24th: "Kiev does not understand that we can attack in three directions at once. There will be no more truces. We will attack the enemy until we reach the oblast border."