Events in Ukraine on 23 February 2015.

Briefly about the most important today's events in our digest of events

that have happened in Ukraine today

Kuleba: Over 65 children died, and 127 others injured during the conflict in the east of the country

According to official data, more than 65 children have been killed, and 127 others wounded during the conflict in Donetsk and Lugansk regions, President's Envoy on the Rights of the Child Mykola Kuleba said at a briefing as reported by Ukrainian News.

"Two 15-year old teenagers were wounded at a mass meeting just yesterday, one of whom is in a very serious condition," Kuleba added.

At the same time, he stressed that the exact number of casualties among children is difficult to state and announced that the United Nations estimated the number of wounded at around 159.

He noted that the Donbas conflict causes many problems for children. They are made orphans, lose documents, and sometimes suffer concussions and psychological traumata.

ATO Headquarters: 2 service members killed and 10 others wounded in the ATO area in the past 24 hours

2 Ukrainian service members were killed, and 10 others wounded in the past 24 hours in the ATO area, ATO Deputy Head in Donetsk and Lugansk regions Colonel Valentyn Fedichev announced at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.

Two rebel attacks overnight, an attack on Shyrokine lasted half an hour

The last night in the ATO area was characterized by a significant decrease in the number of shell attacks on positions of Ukrainian troops, ATO Headquarters report.

"Rebels opened fire only twice within the period from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on February 23," the ATO press centre reported on Monday morning.

Insurgents fired at Krasnogorivka at 21.30 with machine-guns, and shelled the village of Kamianka, which is in the Donetsk direction, at 2 o'clock a.m.

"At the same time, attacks on our positions in Shyrokine, which is situated in the Mariupol direction, have not ceased. Outlawed units of gunmen unsuccessfully tried to attack our military at midnight. The clash lasted for half an hour," the Headquarters inform.

Latvia's Premier supports UN peacekeeping missions in Donbas

Latvia supports sending UN peacekeepers to Eastern Ukraine, Prime Minister of Latvia Laimdota Straujuma told BNS agency after her meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kyiv on Sunday.

According to her, the parties discussed the settlement of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. Poroshenko noted that both the US and the UK support sending peacekeeping mission to Ukraine. He also said that he would ask France for support as well. Straujuma stressed that everything possible should be done to achieve peace in Donbas.

Ukraine to start withdrawing artillery once the ceasefire has been observed

Heavy arms withdrawal from the front line has not begun yet in Donbas because of ongoing rebel shell strikes on Ukrainian positions, a spokesman for the anti-terrorist operation announced.

"The first stage of the peace deal provides for a complete ceasefire. We will switch to the second step, once terrorists have stopped shelling our positions," Anatoliy Stelmakh said at a briefing on Monday morning.

Rebels have not ceased fire.

Spokesman for the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Vladislav Selezniov said that special sites had been prepared to park heavy arms, but there won’t be any withdrawal as long as shelling continues along the front line.

Saryusz-Wolski: Britain, France and the USA have to supply weapons to Ukraine

According to him, events around Debaltseve and rebels' attempts to make their way to the Crimea through Mariupol show that Russia has not used its chance given at Minsk 2.

Regarding arms, the MP is confident that weapons should be delivered by those countries that possess them.

 "We are talking about high-tech weapons - accurate missiles, anti-tank, anti-aircraft equipment - mainly weapons, which can be found in France and England. And America," Saryusz-Wolski emphasized.

However, according to him, it is not a question            within the scope of EU authorities, as each member state has to decide itself, whether to supply weapons or not to.

"It would be good if there was a coalition of states willing to deliver arms," Saryusz-Wolski added.

Shell strikes resumed in Lugansk region: Popasna and Krymske under attack

Rebels mortared the village of Popasna twice on Monday morning with the first attack conducted at around 4 o'clock, and the second at 6, the press-service of the Lugansk region governor, Gennady Moskal, reports.

The settlement of Krymske, Novoaydarsk district, was also shelled yesterday at around 16 o'clock; apart from that, some attacks took place on the suburbs. Rebels used machine guns and submachine guns. No casualties among civilians were reported. At present, Krymske volunteers are distributing the humanitarian aid brought over the day before.

Some more clashes were registered in Troitske on Sunday evening (Popasna district, close to Debaltseve). Artillery and heavy machine-gun fire was heard today in the morning in Tryokhizbenka and in the area of the Bakhmutka highway, where checkpoints of Ukrainian security forces are situated.

Hostilities brake out from time to time in these areas. No information on casualties has been released.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania: There is a risk that other regions of Ukraine may be destabilized

There would be a risk of destabilization in other regions of Ukraine, in case the Minsk agreements are not implemented, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Bogdan Aurescu said in an interview with RFІ.

"If this ceasefire deal and next steps are not implemented, then the Minsk armistice would be contravened," the head of the Foreign Ministry of Romania said.

"In such a case, the destabilisation can spread to other regions of Ukraine including regions neighbouring Romania," he emphasized.

However, according to Aurescu, points of view within the EU regarding possible arms deliveries to Ukraine are divided.

Regarding Romania, Head of the Foreign Ministry asserted that it has no such weapons.