DEBALTSEVE, Ukraine – Kremlin-backed separatists set about reducing the Ukrainian-held Debaltseve to rubble on Feb. 3, despite a promised cease-fire and the presence of several thousand civilians in the Donetsk Oblast city.

It started with a smattering of rockets, dropping about a kilometer away from the center with a series of dull booms and leaving dense plumes of smoke behind them. Within minutes, salvos of missiles were smashing down all over the city and its strategic rail and road junction, sending terrified residents diving once more into their basements.