A rebel stronghold retaken

A rebel stronghold retaken

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Ukraine's government forces fought off pro-Russian separatists to take back the city of Slaviansk, an advance that President Petro Poroshenko called a turning point in the fight for control of the country's east.

In the former rebel stronghold, where Ukrainian forces had been tightening their grip for more than a month, around 200 residents lined up in the central square for meat, potatoes, onions and bread distributed by troops.

. SLAVIANSK, Ukraine. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

Slaviansk's re-capture represents Kiev's most notable military victory in three months of fighting in which more than 200 Ukrainian troops have been killed as well as hundreds of civilians and rebels.

The conflict has left scars on the landscape, with destroyed military vehicles lying by the side of a road just outside the eastern town.

. SLAVIANSK, Ukraine. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

In the image above, a National Guard soldier checks a house where pro-Russian separatists stayed in Slaviansk, a town of 120,000 people where the rebels held sway since separatist uprisings erupted in eastern regions of Ukraine in April.

The crisis began when street protests ousted Moscow-backed Viktor Yanukovich in late February for rejecting a landmark political and trade deal with the European Union in favour of closer ties with Russia.

Russia subsequently annexed Crimea and separatist revolts against the new Kiev authorities broke out with rebels declaring "people's republics" and saying they wanted to join Russia.

. SLAVIANSK, Ukraine. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

Now, Ukrainian flags have replaced Russian ones atop Slaviansk's government buildings for the first time in months and, in the image above, a group of people wait for food aid from Ukrainian soldiers.

Government forces said they have full control of Slaviansk as well as the nearby town of Kramatorsk.

Many rebels appeared to have retreated towards Donetsk, the east's main industrial hub.

. SLAVIANSK, Ukraine. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

With Ukrainian soldiers, like the man pictured above, in Slaviansk, the fight is now moving elsewhere in the east.

A security official said the government's plan to clear rebels from the two big towns of Donetsk and Luhansk would come as an "nasty surprise" for the insurgents, while the militants said they were preparing to fight back after losing their main stronghold.

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Slideshow

A National Guard soldier checks a house that was used by pro-Russian separatists.
. SLAVIANSK, Ukraine. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

A National Guard soldier checks a house that was used by pro-Russian separatists.

Mattresses lie in the basement of a Security Services building, used by rebels as a detention centre for hostages.
. SLAVIANSK, Ukraine. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

Mattresses lie in the basement of a Security Services building, used by rebels as a detention centre for hostages.

A member of the National Guard inspects weapons captured from rebels.
. SLAVIANSK, Ukraine. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

A member of the National Guard inspects weapons captured from rebels.

A soldier stands in the middle of a street.
. SLAVIANSK, Ukraine. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

A soldier stands in the middle of a street.

A woman waits for food aid from Ukrainian soldiers.
. SLAVIANSK, Ukraine. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

A woman waits for food aid from Ukrainian soldiers.

Others wait for food to be handed out.
. SLAVIANSK, Ukraine. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

Others wait for food to be handed out.

Loaves of bread are stacked together, ready to be distributed.
. SLAVIANSK, Ukraine. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

Loaves of bread are stacked together, ready to be distributed.

People reach towards soldiers as they hand out food.
. SLAVIANSK, Ukraine. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

People reach towards soldiers as they hand out food.

Three women sit on a bench as people crowd together waiting for food aid.
. SLAVIANSK, Ukraine. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

Three women sit on a bench as people crowd together waiting for food aid.

The scars of fighting remain. Ammunition and mines lie near a destroyed vehicle just outside Slaviansk.
. SLAVIANSK, Ukraine. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

The scars of fighting remain. Ammunition and mines lie near a destroyed vehicle just outside Slaviansk.