Only one of the Ukrainian Army checkpoints encircling the separatist stronghold of Slovyansk, where a military operation was in its third day on Thursday, was letting traffic through — most on its way out.
Beyond it, the sporadic boom of heavy artillery shelling in the northern outskirts punctuated an eerie calm in the mostly unscathed center of the sun-drenched town, where residents on bicycles and pushing strollers weaved their way through rebel roadblocks of felled trees, sand bags and rusted cars.
Nobody jumped at the sound.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.